I miss the "remember when"s

As I've mentioned, the ship is primarily well-healed 70 and 80 somethings. With a population like this, 2nd and 3rd marriages are quite common, whether by divorce or being widowed / widowered. We've met couples married 7 years to 65 years, so quite the variety of life milestones / accomplishments, not just from a marriage perspective, but many perspectives. Travel destinations are another major accomplishment among this demographic. I bet there's no place on earth the combined population of this ship hasn't been to. That's astounding when you think about it, almost mind boggling. A few posts ago, I mentioned meeting a couple who lived in my hometown. With approx 1,000 couples on board, that definitely beats the odds. But I digress.

We were speaking with a couple in their second marriage, both widowed, who had a combined 110 years of marriage between them. While it was all pleasant and light-hearted conversation about getting married again, She mentioned missing most the "remember when"s. What a poignant way to convey the loss of a spouse. I'm suddenly very aware of all the remember-when's I say to my wife of a mere 35.5 years. Remember when the kids were young, remember when we went to XYZ?, remember when we bought that ABC? I think I say it much more than I realized. It reminds me of a Paul Anka song ,"Reach out for the joy and the sorrow. Put them away in your mind. The memories are time that you borrow, To spend when you get to tomorrow". Marriage is so many things, but I generally think of it as a future-focused commitment to love, honor and cherish......and each and every day a renewal of that vow. But perhaps it's also a commitment to the past, to remember the remember-when's and to relive that joy frequently. I think about this world cruise and how many remember-whens this trip will evoke in the future. I hope many, for many years.

Work was good today. 6 hrs with just 2 meetings means I got to work on getting caught up. 2 consecutive port days did put me a bit behind. I dare to say most people at work have no idea I'm on a world cruise. And that's my goal for a variety of reasons, not the least of which it won't seem fair. It's not fair. But what is? I realize it's an anomaly, an exception, a deviation for sure; but it's not a boondoggle. The work is real and I feel like I'm still able to make a difference; otherwise I wouldn't do it.

After work, I skipped lunch. Wasn't hungry, which I think was the advantage of having oatmeal in addition to fruit this morning. Definitely stuck with me and may help me with weight maintenence.

I went to the fitness center and did 1 hr = 4 miles on the treadmill. That's not stellar, I know. It was a run walk combo while I watched 2 episodes of Netflix's Grace and Frankie. Such a clever series with famous, talented, experienced stars. My goal is to increase the mileage each time while staying at an hour. March will then be focused on increasing from 1 to 2 hours. The point is have a plan and a goal.

Afterwards I had a light lunch as I was famished at this point. Then the dreaded laundry. Nothing like dirty socks and underwear to remind you that even paradise isn't perfect.

Dinner was great starting with an appetizer of Ceasar salad with grilled duck breast that was outstanding. The main course was a rare hanger steak which was good but didn't quite live up to expectations. The hanger steak has the yield of 1 per cow. Supposedly it is a premium cut second only to the filet. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but with that type of hype, I had higher expectations. Therefore I didn't take a picture of it. That will teach it a lesson. Dessert too was outstanding. A flan-like custard with salted caramel. I added the khalua and oh baby, crema de los gods (also not pictured because I was in a dessert coma).

Not sure what the show is but pretty sure I'll get a nap in. I also broke my losing streak at the casino, a modest but very satisfying win.

Tomorrow is pago pago, an easy port, just going to walk around and experience the local flavor. We might hire a cab for a tour....we'll see if it strikes our curiosity.

Sundays blog - the doors of the island princess. Who knew a door could be so expressive?