Things I learned I on the cruise....
1. There is food everywhere! You can eat as much as You want, whenever you want, wherever you want!
2. There’s ice cream 24 hrs a day. Enough said...
3. When presented with the opportunity, old retired men will always feel the need to take off their shirts. Thankfully, old retired women don’t feel this same need!
4. Cruise Director Steve has more energy in his pinky finger than I have in my entire body! In fact, I'm pretty sure his pinky finger could kick my butt from one end of the ship to the other and never break a sweat! Yet, His games are fun and sometimes very embarrassing.
5. Sometimes fun games are needed to make people feel welcome and comfortable.
6. Cruse Director Steve has a myriad of Auburn clothing. He is a huge fan, yet is from Toronto, Canada.
7. Being on a boat in the middle of the ocean made me feel small and insignificant. This was a cool, yet surreal feeling for such a large man as myself.
8. There’s satellite TV. This way Glenn Beck and Anderson Cooper can keep you abreast of all the political propaganda of the day!
9. Carnival Cruises plays a myriad of 80’s and 90’s music, should one feel the need to cut a rug or two. (and yes, I did get my groove on once or twice on the Lido deck!)
10. There is an array of people from various walks of life on board a cruise ship. Some folks look like they belong, and others... Well, they just look out place.
11. Before we left for the trip, I joked to our Sunday School class about how even people on a cruise ships need Jesus... Turns out, I was correct!
12. I’m still convinced the best way to get people to open up and talk is around a table when food is involved.
13. There’s always a band on the Lido Deck, and at any time during the day they can be found playing a collection of Glen Campbell or Jimmy Buffett songs. I suppose if this ministry thing doesn’t pan out, there’s always a place for me on this boat!
14. I might just punch the next waiter who comes over and asks me if I want a drink in a coconut! DUDE, this is not Gilligan’s Island! If I want to drink from a coconut, I will get one!
15. But wait man, you can get me some more coffee! Did I mention there is free coffee anytime you want it!
16. On a cruise ship you can do just about anything you want, which includes taking a nap every afternoon following lunch. (I will definitely be bringing this one up with my supervisor when I get back!)
17. There is absolutely no good way to sport a life jacket! If the ship is going down, it is perfectly acceptable to be a fashion faux pas, if in fact the faux pas will save your life!
18. My dining room waiter is named “Wilson”, which is very funny and confusing, since his name tag says he is from “Indonesia.”
19. Wilson always greets me by name with a smile. This makes me feel particularly important, especially when he does it outside of the dining room!
20. I’ve come to realize that a cruise ship is all about me: My wants, My desires, My pleasure... This only helps to feed the “All About Me” Mentality.
If I’m not careful, I could get to thinking life is all about me. As I was making my observations about the cruise ship, I thought back to some words from Donald Miller...
In His book Blue Like Jazz, He tells the story of Don Rabbit:
“There was a Rabbit named Don Rabbit. Don Rabbit went to Stumptown Coffee every morning. One Morning at Stumptown, Don Rabbit met Sexy Carrot. And Don Rabbit decided to chase Sexy Carrot. But Sexy Carrot was very fast. And Don Rabbit chased Sexy Carrot all over Oregon. And all over America, all the way to New York City. And Don Rabbit chased Sexy Carrot all the way to the moon. And Don Rabbit was very, very tired. But with one last burst of strength, Don Rabbit lunged at Sexy Carrot. And Don Rabbit caught Sexy Carrot. And the moral of the story is that if you work hard, stay focused and never give up, you will eventually get what you want in life.Unfortunately, shortly after this story was told, Don Rabbit choked on the carrot and died. so the second moral of the story is: Sometimes the things we want most in life are things that will kill us."
There is so much more to life than just living for me...
There is something much more satisfying in life than just filling it with “all about me” things....
But that’s for another post....
Until next time.
