28 October 2006

Tidbits on a Windy Saturday Morning

I should be on a cruise ship today winding my way through the southern Caribbean away from the Panama Canal and towards Cozumel. But, instead, I am sitting in my favorite chair talking to a computer while the wind blows the wet leaves around in the yard. We had been planning this cruise for almost a year to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. I just wanted to cruise; I told Jeff he could pick the place. (He chose a Panama Canal route)

Anyone we know who has done much cruising has said that they had never heard of it happening before, but it did to us. Four days before we were to sail, a travel agency called us, explaining that our cruise had been overbooked and they were looking for a few people to change their cruise date in exchange for a "sweet" package offered by the cruise line. We were originally booked in a small stateroom (category BE) and they wanted to move us up to a mini-suite with a balcony (category AA) PLUS give us $1500 on-board credit (of which if there was a remaining amount at the end of the cruise, they would refund as cash).

This sounded too good to be true, so we called back through directly to the cruise line to ask them to validate this offer. They, in turn, connected us back to this same travel agency, who gave us the same offer again. The only catch was that we would have to sail between December 10th and April 10th.

As much as instant gratification is tempting, I knew that we could not possibly go in December. I already have a syndrome (yet unnamed by the medical world) about living out Christmas in this American society. After many years of quiet, uncomplicated, simple Christmases in West Africa, the appeal of the lights, advertisements, endless scheduling of events, and the pressure of finding just the right gift -- well, just doesn't appeal to me. After four years of living back in America, I am actually able to find some joy and sanity in this season by making my own rules -- not living under the traditional ones that makes sure that every ounce of joy and energy is taken away from you by the time December 25th gets here. (DO NOT make the wrong assumption that I hate Christmas. I do not. It is a special, significant time of year. But our society has stretched it so out of proportion and I have chosen not to celebrate in that way - but that will be for another blog later on)

Back to my cruising story. Because of the nature of our work/ministry, finding another date that would work would be tedious at best. But, we did find a window of opportunity in the middle of January. Now, how about that? The holidays will be past, our stint in a very demanding, extra ministry will have ended a week earlier, and there are no leaves to watch change in vivid colors right before our eyes - it's the dead of winter! And we'll be on a cruise ship, in a mini-suite with $1500 that we would not have had otherwise.....

Oh yeah, I can sit here with contentment today and watch the burnished leaves on the maples in my backyard and feel the cool breezes of fall succumbing to the brisk wind of winter waiting his turn. But when ol' man winter enters with a vengenance, I'll don my bathing suit and shorts, and head for the gangplank!

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Another thought that comforts me as I (mistakenly) look around this room is to know that there will be no washing machines in heaven! I just don't know why keeping up with clothes should be such a daunting task. Perhaps it's because there are still two teenagers GIRLS living in this house. Everywhere I turn there are either piles of unfolded clothes, folded clothes that no one wants to claim enough to take to her room, or dirty clothes strewed over the small laundry room floor. Sometimes it's enough to make me want to live in the buff.......well, I'm kidding, of course, but it's just that moment of insanity that comes when things feel out of control.

So, enough tidbits this morning. Time to pronounce war on the cotton/rayon/spandex/nylon world that surrounds me!

Happy fall, ya'll!!

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