April 16, 2024

Holland America made a wise decision rerouting our ship, so we did not go to the Middle East. Today we were scheduled to be in Israel.

I received an email from my good friend, Marty Shenkman, who is currently in Israel. He wrote “For a few hours we knew at least 100 suicide drones were fired at the entire country (this morning I learned it was 400++). “I had lunch Friday with a great nephew of mine who is in the paratroopers and has been in Gaza until a few days ago. What he tells me is a very different reality than what the news reports. I’ll fill you in if I get through this.“

I look forward to Marty’s report. From my experience commentary from those with “feet on the ground” is much different from reporting that must go through editorial review before it is ever deemed appropriate for general consumption.

I also received an email from my long-standing friend Dr. Terry Mooney after reading my blog about Hendrich asked “Tom, are you making any more friends on the ship?” Good question, Terry.

By definition those who would embark on a World Cruise are an adventurous group. It may remind you of your college dorm experience, some people you are more drawn to than others. There are some passengers who plan their travel with friends, they tend to be the rowdiest!

The thing I personally like about cruising around the world is that you can be as busy or as relaxed as you choose. Chongae keeps a busy schedule. She goes to water coloring class, jewelry making class, and when there isn’t a scheduling conflict origami. She wanted to take up pickleball, so I bought her a racquet for Christmas. She has taken up pickleball. I think she is going to be the women’s pickleball champion onboard! Me, I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler, but I do go to the gym, and I remain a voracious reader.

The one think Chongae and I always plan before leaving on a cruise is to reserve our own table so that we can always have dinner together. It is like having a date night every night! Imagine eating dinner every night in a favorite restaurant for a few months. You would surely get to befriend your server and they would get to become friends with you. Our server Ochi, despite her young age, is an accomplished head waiter, who makes every meal a joy. Of course, she has taken a liking to Chongae!

And as with Hendrich, there are some encounters that are unexpected.

When we were in the Seychelles Islands, we did a lot of walking, and the weather was hot! On the way back to the ship we stopped in a market to get a couple of bottles of cold water. There was a construction worker who had stopped to get a chicken sandwich for lunch and asked if we would like a ride back to the ship. On the way back he told us about his wife, his children, his business, his hopes for the future and having grown up on the island what life was like in The Seychelles. When we got back to the ship passengers were getting left off from their excursions and it was fun to watch their reactions to Chongae and I being left off in a flatbed pickup. Little did they know we had the best excursion of all!

I think most of us feel a need to be part of a community.

I think that is part of the reason why I write this blog.

When I speak to people my age, although we cherish the time spent with our children, we realize they are occupied with the same things we were at their age, managing a career, starting a business, raising children or as in our son Jimmy and daughter-in-law Kayla’s life-Starting A Family. (twins!)

A host of empirical data shows that feeling part of a community is an essential ingredient to living a long productive life. (Read The Blue Zones) So in this season of our life, one of the reasons Chongae and I travel is to feel part of and learn from a broad cultural community. Hopefully, a byproduct of that journey is it will support us living a long productive life to share with those we love.

You are part of that journey.

Thanks for traveling with us.