Vacation Bliss - Friends Make it Sweeter

If I packed a body in my suitcase, it would not have been any heavier than my suitcase

was from my recent one week cruise. Yes, you read that right, one week cruise pack job by moi! Everything was in there but the kitchen sink, the puppy, and the corner drug store. Oh and dental floss. But I vow never again will I pack that much again as long as I live no matter who is on the ship!

This trip was pretty special though seeing as how it was on my Bucket List. Always have I wanted to go on a cruise with a group, preferably friends. Oh I know every cruise ship has hundreds of passengers on it but I wanted folks I knew going onto the boat. Many find it hard to believe but I can be shy, every once in a while. It is said you make lifelong friends over vacation but I have never really stayed in touch with anyone I have met over a vacation, except my first husband. Oh and I did have two children with him so I guess he did play a pretty dominate place in my life.

So the ship chosen was NCL Bliss, the largest ship they have out on the high seas.  And wow, it is an eyeful, like walking a small neighborhood on the ocean from end to end. The

first few days, it was easy to lose your bearings, especially if you are directionally

challenged like me. So much to do on that boat, if you get bored, there is only one person to blame; check out the mirror!

Being on a boat with a group of folks I really don’t hang out with that much was interesting to see how the week would play out. One of the neighbors, as we all live in an active 55+ Community, is a travel agent who planned the trip,

made the arrangements and was our Julie from the Love Boat. So wonderful how meals, shows and even extra fun things on the ship were scheduled for everyone. She left nothing to chance, planning around ports and everyone’s needs and wants. Betcha her past clients were left crying when she moved south and left her business up north. Sorry ‘bout their luck, our gain!

What a group of fun people, and competitive too!  Four folks played Laser Tag with us along with 3 other young kids and may I proudly say “We kicked butt!”  Losing by one point when one on our team had a gun not working half of the game time is not bad at all. Next game we tied!  And having a cop on the team and two vets on our team, even with three kids, we were dynamite and put SWAT teams to shame! And yes, I and one other woman even had falls to prove we were seriously into the game to win!  Don’t let it be said women are wimps!

It didn’t matter whether it was race car driving, watching Jersey Boys, dancing while music groups were playing at the Atrium, this group threw caution to the wind so I fit

right in. When they threw their hands up and said join in, I did. Life’s motto, “Live it up like each day is your last” was the mantra for the cruise for bliss on Bliss and we all did it up right and proudly.

The warmth of friendship makes the sun of the Caribbean pale in comparison. Whether on an excursion or just killing time on the ship by the pool or various activities with friends from the group, knowing each day ended with time with new friends made each day special like all of them.  And if I packed a body in a suitcase, it would certainly be, on a future vacation, one of them!

Click Here for a Video of Some Highlights

Where did I put that Bucket List?

What you are waiting for?  Why haven’t you written and started working on that Bucket List? Don’t look around the room or move your eyes from side to side, I am talking to you. Lean in close to your screen - YOU! 

Do not wait till you hear the words, "You're going to die." It is not necessary to wait till your days are numbered to create one and begin working things off on it, crossing them off one at a time.  Trust me, by that time; it may be too late. Heck, you may be gone, being carried by angels up to the pearly gates. Then what are you going to tell the big guy in the sky when He asks you why you never did that trip you always talked about with your friends or that sky-dive you always dreamed about doing? 

Excuses don’t hold, they are like feeble attempts, kinda like avoiding neighbors. Sooner or later you run into them, sometimes literally! Create opportunities to do the things you desire not reasons not to. Hurdles can be worked around, jumped over with planning.  Put items on your bucket list on a priority scale and then decide You Are Worth It!

I was told when I got cancer, to start my list, all the things I wanted to do for my personal Bucket List. I have always heard these lists are supposed to be wild adventurous things. When you are flat on your back, sick as a dog, your list goes something like this: 

1) get out of bed 

2) eat pizza again 

3) be able to walk to the mailbox 

4) have hair to complain about/have a bad hair day 

5) be able to go out and not be tired

 6) go a week without seeing a doctor

So wrong to start bucket lists at that time, why not now?  Think about those things you want to do before you die, in your lifetime. Make plans; make baby steps to get there. Nobody will do it for you. One lifetime, one shot, make it happen!  Share it with others so they do the same, mirror your plan.  Start a chain reaction. Help others realize you don’t have to live day-dreaming, you can be a dream-maker. 

Oh my Bucket List got better as I improved. Things were added like Trip to Hawaii and it was done! Concert tickets to one of my favorite shows, done. And the important thing to remember is, as you cross one thing off, add another!  Make your life exciting and interesting, and diverse. Also, make that list not all about you, also about helping others! 

If the dream is too big, downsize it some but keep it close to what you want it to be. A life well lived is a life where dreams come true. But you have to make them happen. The first step is making a list. Be committed! Bucket lists are not just for the dying, 

IT IS FOR THE LIVING, 

LIVING FULLY AND LIVELY!         Just do it!  Bless you and your dreams!

Yep, You Are Getting Old!

One of the hardest things to accept is you are aging. Right while you are sitting here, now, reading this, moments are going by and you are getting older. It is not something you can deny, fight or resist. So the end goal is to do it with grace.

According to the White House Conference on Aging in 2015, over the next 50 years, our aging population in the United States will more than double. The numbers are astounding, to the tune of 92 million Americans being over the age of 65.  So the good news is you are not alone!

The bad news is this it is not an easy transition for any of us. No longer do most have that firm toned body, that endless energy where you can literally jump out of bed. If we did that now, we just might break or sprain something. And, as we age, everything takes longer to heal.

Sitting back and reflecting on your life can be helpful. Think of all the people’s lives you have touched and whom have touched yours.  This is called creating a legacy.

If you were fortunate enough to have children, take a hard look at where they are at. Are they paving the way for a good future, the life that you started and nurtured?  If so, you have done well, all that was asked of you when God placed them in your care.

If you don’t like your changing looks, don’t spend so much time infront of the mirror. Take them out of your home if that is an issue. Staring at those wrinkles won’t make them go away. Having botox helps but honestly, you are our aging,  there is no denying it no matter what you look like. Celebrate your life!

Much as adults untie the apron strings and let their children go off to make it in the adult world, as you age, do the same. Remove the labels that confine you and embrace your freedom, your retirement to do the things you always sought to do and didn’t have the time. If you don’t have the money, improvise.

Will your children miss you when you are gone? Yes, and if not, it is their loss. You have been there and done the best job you knew how to give them a life. Cheers to you that they have established one. Now go live the last part of yours. 

Opray is quoted as saying  “I think the hardest part of aging really is recognizing the time that you wasted and the things that you worried about that really didn’t matter,” she said. 

But aging with grace is letting go of regrets, forgiving yourself for your mistakes and letting go. Why not be free of any restrictions put on you by others?  You have a perfect reason now for acting out on your fantasies, you are getting senile, it is on your bucket list, and any other reason you feel like giving.

The reality is you don’t need a reason beyond you. You are worth it. Invest what time is left on you!  If you don’t do it now, you will never get the chance.