I'm not sure how many of my tens of loyal readers know the significance of April Fools' Day this year. It was fairly meaningful as the Missus and I celebrated 30 years of marriage. Those that know me consider this milestone nothing short of miraculous. Might be. I think the word miracle is thrown around a little too casually these days. But that's another post for another day.
Anyhoo..............at Christmas time, with our little clan assembled, I asked the kids if they would join us on a family vacay in honor of this anniversary. They readily accepted. I think they did, anyway. They might have accepted with fear, trepidation and only out of a sense of responsibility. After all, can anyone imagine having any fun with me, for crying out loud?
Trying to decide what kind of trip to take was mind numbing! I shan't bore you with all the details. VRBO, Airbnb, beaches, mountains, all-inclusives, Redneck Riviera, Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, Gulf Shores, Destin, Pensacola......this list could go on ad infinitum. The interwebs have a way of making this process exhausting. And the whole premise of entering an email address on most sites result in dozens of emails on a daily basis. But no one ever accused me of being the sharpest knife in the drawer.
In the midst of all the tired head that comes as a result of this kind of decision, the questionable and controversial idea of a Cruise kept getting a lot of brain space. Of course, one of our party of 5 had been on a cruise. A few years ago, T had done the short, unimpressive route from Rome to Monte Carlo on a Mediterranean Cruise! I was fairly certain that we were not going to one up that little excursion!
Looooong story short, I booked us on a little 5 day adventure on one of those rust buckets out of Galveston. The anxiety, nerves, emotions, fears and everything that goes with spending any time in my brain are unexplainable. I cannot put into words how BADLY I needed this to be the trip of a lifetime and for my wife and kids to enjoy themselves!
My biggest character defect is the brutal, almost incomprehensible, expectations I set for everything and everyone in my life. And you know what? My expectations were exceeded!
From the rocking of the ship, to the Mayan Ruins, to the pineapple with chili powder in a very impoverished village, to the silly shows, to the quiet time reading on the balcony, to the cheeseburger in paradise on Paradise Beach, to the quiet time in prayer, I would not have changed a thing!
We absolutely pulled it off, in spite of me. We shared our lives, our laughter, and our love for each other every night in the main dining room, while Jay and Ishwar served us with seeming joy.
For the most part, I suffer from a ridiculous lack of gratitude. But not today. I am grateful beyond words. And once again, the open seas provided just what I needed.
