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A new adventure


swilkinson

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I have just been on a cruise. The last time I went on a cruise I was  twenty and went to Fiji and Tonga, we can't go from here to Tonga any more. This time I went to New Zealand. I shared with the sister-in-law of an old friend, the old friend and her husband went too. Also on board were two couples from the Stroke Recovery group WAGS that I still belong to.

 

It was good to have other friends on board and I did spend quite a lot of time with Bill and Jill. Bill was on his scooter. Being a survivor of a massive brain stem stroke he has no balance but all his cognition so he enjoys cruising but with a lot of help from Jill. They are a delightful couple to be with and as there is a lot of help available for disabled people on Princess cruises it is also an ideal holiday for Jill. Dave and Cheryl I saw less of, it was their first cruise and I think were finding it difficult to get used to.

 

My stateroom companion Theresa and I were compatible and enjoyed our time together and I was glad of her company. It is nice to have someone to talk things over with at the end of the day. We often had breakfast and lunch together. We split up for the evening meal as she had that with her family and I went to one of the restaurants where I could order meals that were okay for my food allergies and I had some really excellent meals. It was so great to have a variety of foods which were well prepared and tailored to my needs.

 

Because of the cororavirus a lot of Asian cruises had been cancelled and so we had a lot of Americans on board and some were going to New Zealand as an alternative to the cruise they were originally booked on. As a  single person I was a "share" and so I had a meal with many delightful table companions. I enjoyed meeting so many kind and interesting people. Many like me were seeing New Zealand for the first time so we have lot to discuss. We were fortunate with the weather and with the skill of the navigator as we managed to get into all six ports despite some swell. Another ship just ahead of us missed the last two.

 

What did I learn from this experience? I learned that it is okay to lose your way if you can get back to a place you recognise and start again. A ship's long corridors can all look alike and as I was often hazy about whether my destination was FOR or AFT that was a problem for me. But after a few days I started to recognise the landmarks. Unlike my poor friend who with the onset of dementia was often lost and had a lot of kind people endeavouring to find her travelling companions for her. 

 

I learned that it is okay to do my own thing which was listening to piano music at night rather than going to the latest extravaganza. I learned that sitting alone is acceptable, doing something that is special to me rather than just falling in with other people's plans. I was a bit dubious about that at the beginning of the cruise but it worked out well. I didn't find a special place to sit and read which was a pity but with over 3000 people on board there were crowds everywhere I went which made that impossible but I can be quiet in myself and meditative anywhere really with a little effort.

 

On the return journey  to Sydney on the last three nights the sea was a bit rough and the weather not so good  and it was a little hard to sleep. But the weather in Sydney had been rain a lot of the time we were away. Leaving the ship was delayed by a screening of passengers for the coronavirus which took a couple of hours but no problems were found and eventually we were back on shore. It is a long journey home for me by train and bus and in this case taxi but it was worth it. It was a long-term plan of mine to see something of New Zealand and that is now crossed off my bucket list.

 

Now it is time for more tests and hopefully next week the thyroid operation. I can't say I am looking forward to that but it is essential to me being healthy again and living the best life possible. Not to mention seeing my grandchildren grow up. There will no doubt be a complicated recovery but eventually what is hopefully my last operation will be over and I will be free to cross off another item off my bucket list.

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A cruise!! Awesome! I wonder if you went anywhere near Deigh?

 

Yes. There's a big difference between being alone and being lonely.

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that sounds so fun and also finding fellow Stroke Recovery members must have been an added bonus. Yes, doing things on your own is some thing that is perfectly fine for us to do but not doing that for sometime can make that feel foreign for sure. Listening to piano playing is one of my favorite things to do as well. I applaud you on your adventures!!!!!

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Sue :

 

that's so wonderful, I am glad you had fun wonderful experience with your cruise, Its good to do something you enjoy even if it means doing it alone. Even as married couple hubby & I don't share same interests, like watching movies together. I am still learning to find happiness in doing things alone too. he always says you need to find your own inner joy he cant be performing for me to find that joy lol. so i try to find movie he will like & watch with me & if its history or documentary it works for him & I am developing my interest in those movies too.

 

Asha

 

 

 

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Asha, I can see you're learning to share your husband's enthusiasms and that is good. Being a good companion is about those guestures that say: "You matter to me." As a widow I spend most of my time alone and really miss the things Ray and I shared, especially when I am surrounded by people doing couple activities together.

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Sue,   I'm so happy for you that you were able to do this cruise.   I'm also glad that  you are home again safe and sound and free from the coronavirus.   I look forward to being able to do a cruise again some day, but for now I'm still tied up in paperwork and travels, even within the US, are not in the works until I make the trip back to Colorado to have a Celebration of Life service for Gary in early June.   Hope your surgery goes well and you get to do more travels ....maybe we can meet up again for another adventure!

 

Sarah

 

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Nice to hear you made it to New Zealand. A beautiful country for sure, especially the South Island. I fear cruise ships will not be sailing for awhile now. Lesley really wants to go on one but they are not my thing. So I have strongly encouraged her to find someone else and go enjoy a cruise someday. They will sail again after they upgrade their sanitation and ventilation systems.

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I was glad I went on the cruise when I did, four people tested positive to COVID-19 on the next one on the Ruby Princess. That was a lucky escape for me and my travelling companions.

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It is sad to see the Ruby Princess is sitting off the local beaches with her crews on board, some of whom are sick now. The ship is waiting for orders to go back to their home port or wherever the company sends them. It must be a very frustrating time for them all. I am so sorry this is happening to people who were so kind to me and my travelling companions.

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Yes, it's very sad, sue.

There's a ship in Freo that the premier has told to leave.

I'm not sure where they could go.

Very sad.

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