Lido....oh oh oh oh! Shuffle?

I’ve been complaining that I haven’t had time to blog. Now here I am on a cruise, nothing to do and plenty of time, and somehow…not much to say. I’m sure I’ll find a way to fill up a lot of space though. I did get to catch up with some of the ex-counselor types from Camp Weed in Jacksonville the day we left on the cruise. Awesome to see them all and to chat. Loved getting Zach’s reaction that we were going on a cruise in the first place. He’s right in some ways- weird for us to just sit around drinking “bahama mamas” and sitting in deck chairs. Actually, we’ve rarely sat in deck chairs. We did spend one evening in the hot tub by ourselves enjoying a ‘goombay punch’ but not much more. The closest we’ve come is yesterday’s outing in Nassau, which was sitting on a white sand Caribbean beach in a lounge chair drinking a daiquiri and reading a book. And yes, there was a Lido deck on the ship where the pool, hot tubs and shuffleboard were located as well as were they held a hairy chest competition and a midnight buffet.

It has actually been a little disconcerting, after being very intentional for quite a while about being low-environmental impact, low consumeristic, and trying hard to get the kids out of a enjoy now pay later existence to really just kick back and enjoy the cruise. There are all sorts of issues that pop up- like leaving the kids for 6 days; the carbon footprint of a cruise ship on a fragile tropical environment (all though it could be seen as one heck of a ride-share program); the exploitation of local and native cultures; the propagation of stereotypes that you can only have fun if you are drinking; the constant drone of amusement to dull the senses of anything that might not be ‘happy’; and the general eating and drinking oneself into an unhealthy state, because, its all been paid for and it is right in front of you. I could go on, but then I risk really damning myself and getting depressed.

It has also been a great chance to talk to people from other places, albeit everyone seems to have an understanding about never talking politics or any unpleasant topics. It has also been good to see places I might never otherwise see- Key West, Nassau, Bahamas and the wide open Atlantic Ocean (how is it we settled the whole continent by sailing over on boats the size of double-wide?) Mostly, it’s been an incredible chance to spend time alone with my husband and be able to have a conversation where we can complete our sentences without interruption. We may not have done too many things…but we did nothing together, and that, as the mastercard commercial would say, has been priceless.