Savour the Moment

We're back! We had an awesome time on our cruise. If you haven't been on a cruise go on one - they are the trip of a lifetime. (And if you need a good cruise travel agent I've got the best!) I'm not going to bore you with pictures, but I'll give you a few highlights/tips:

It is possible to eat two ice creams at once (and yes, it is worth the calories)
If you drink wine on a slightly rocking ship it rocks less
Dinner can be any time of the day you want
Exercise schmexercise - why use all that energy to work out when you can just park a lounge chair by the running track and watch others do it (I was very helpful in counting laps for them)
Don't hang loose bathing suits on your balcony on windy days (there is a fish somewhere wearing a blue bathing suit)
If you sit on your sunglasses don't bother trying to fix them, just put them in the empty pina colada glass by your chair, have another drink and then who cares about the sun in your eyes.

We visited a few ports: Grand Bahama Island, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios. Each seemed to be more lovely than the last. We spoke with people on each island and one thing that really struck me was the ease they had. There was time to chat, they didn't have that 'to do list' look in their eye - the look that says 'I'd really like to chat now but I have other things to do.' There seemed to be a high value on family. They don't allow themselves to get caught up in the rush that we experience here - they enjoy life, they savour it, there is an appreciation for the little things. I found myself feeling admiration for them; a longing for a simpler existence; freedom from life's "should do's" and "have to do's". I just wanted to join the simplicity, even for a short time.

As I sat here writing this I saw one of my neighbours come out of his house to pick up his newspaper. As I watched him make his was down the two steps in front of the house I felt a tear coming to my eye - you see, this dear neighbour fell off a ladder last December, putting up Christmas lights and has been in the hospital and the rehabilitation centre since that time. He has just come home - this is likely the first time he's pick up his newspaper in 4 months. One moment in time has changed his life, the life of his family and those around him.

Two different stories highlighting the frailty of life; the importance of savouring the moments we have. Each moment is a precious gift.

So as we rush around trying to get everything crossed off our to-do lists, we need to stop and remember the simplicity and peacefulness of weaving palm leaves and the universal moments that can change our lives for ever. This encourages each of us to savour this moment; slow down; truly be in the moment. The to-do list will still be there tomorrow.

Take this moment and do something meaningful - hug your kids, tell someone you love them, take care of you, let someone know what they mean to you. Leave the worries of yesterday and tomorrow; choose to enjoy the gifts of today.

Anne Rose
March 2004