Cruising Musings

Here are some reflection poems I wrote during our cruise. We're in Osaka now, and there's much more to say, but I feel like I need to write about what happened in Hakodate, Muroran, Shimizu, and Tokyo before I write about what's currently happening. But we're in our 2-month house! We love it! We love the location and all that we can see and do in such a short radius. We take turns going to video game stores (that the boys love) and bookstores (that I love). There are things that are difficult, of course, but we are loving the adventure of "slow travel" in Japan. We're definitely still in the honeymoon phase! :-)

10-3-26

Simultaneously

    I wish 

        I had packed less

    and I wish

        I had packed more

I wish I had packed less

    when my PACKED backpack wouldn't fit under the airplane seat

    when I had to also carry/pull some of the boys' luggage

    when we were on a standing-room-only bus in L.A.

    when we walked from hotel to Iowa battleship to park to terminal to ship   

    when our cramped interior room feels more cramped with so much stuff

    when I think about navigating Yokohama/Tokyo with all our luggage

    when I think about our days in Hawaii with all this luggage PLUS souvenirs

I wish I had packed more

    when it's already this cold on the deck (in October)

    when I get tired of the same shirts

    when I wish we had fill-in-the-blank

    when I realized how few pens I brought

        (yes, I know I can buy more in Japan)

    when I don't really have options for "Dress your best" night

Less? More?

    I can't have both

10-10-26

Living in this alternate existence

Can't receive texts from back home

Not yet to our Osaka "home"

Here in the in-between

    all-you-can-eat buffet

    fancy dining room

    shows and baby-sitting

        all just steps away

Here making temporary friends

    that we'll see every day for 16 days

        eating meals together

        kids playing together

        teens roaming together

    and then probably never see again

Is it worth getting to know people

    you'll never see again?

Here in this unnormal "normal"

    of not having to clean up after myself

    of not having to cook

    of not having to do dishes

The only cleaning I'm doing is occasional sink laundry

The only meal planning I'm doing is choosing cafe, buffet, or dining room

The only dishes I'm doing is setting out my dirty dishes for others to magically whisk away

Today is Day 9 of 12 sea days in a row

    My legs won't know how to walk on solid ground

And when we go back to "land living",

    we'll be on a brand new continent

10-11-26

Excess

Indulgence

Entitlement

That about sums up

    the general attitude 

        on board

Excess entertainment options

    You could go to activities all day

        and still feel like you're missing out

Excess food options

    Leftover food that would feed a village

Indulgence

    Dessert every meal because it's there (and you paid for it!)

    Bars on every corner (everywhere I looked, it seemed everyone had a drink in hand)

Entitlement

    Guests lined up to complain 

    The only time when we can act like kings and queens

I feel the pull of

    Excess

    Indulgence

    Entitlement

        and I have to steel myself

            to stay ground

                here in the middle of the sea

10-11-26

I don't think

    we can handle

        the extensive cruise lifestyle

Even with sweet time together

    and lavish 4-course meals

    and nightly kid-free dates,

        we still find ourselves bickering

            over screen time

            and sugar indulgence

            and parenting decisions

            and port day planning

            and how the other is spending time

                (which always feels lesser)

            and how the other is parenting

We have a ship to explore

    but a cramped cabin to retreat to

We have everything we could ask for,

    but our children find reason to whine

There's beauty in extended days at sea,

    but today (Day 10),

        we're struggling

10-11-26

The staff bend over backwards

    to accommodate our requests

    to always have a ready smile

    to serve us and make us feel special

    to clean up all our messes

    to plan a wide variety of activities and entertainment

And we love it!

We love the royal treatment

            the lavish lifestyle

            the break from "normal" life

            the unlimited options

            the reprieve from household chores

            the food (oh, the food!)

And we're chasing happiness

We embrace the indulgence of the cruise experience

    but when it's over

        we're left with the same problems

                                    and character flaws

                                    and bills and mundane and ho-hum

        which is why "the next cruise" (book it before you leave!)

            is so appealing

If I can't be on a cruise ship,

    at least I can have the next cruise to look forward to, right?

There's the allure of cruising,

    but there's also the stability of HOME

10-11-26

Simple, quiet reflection

    at the monastery

Loud, lavish indulgence

    on a cruise ship

I prefer the monastery

My personality may be loud and boisterous,

    but I crave the quiet

I think I want EXPERIENCES,

    but I really want peace

Sunset over the Pacific is beautiful,

    but I prefer my pilgrimage up the "holy hill" for sunset over the knobs

Here, I hear the late-night party on the Promenade

    There, I hear the chimes as a call to prayer

Here is indulgence

    There is simplicity

Here is constant busyness

    There is intentional slowness

Here, I have a husband and 5 kids to consider

    There, I can do and be on my own

I may be 3201 nautical miles plus 2,117 land miles away

    but just thinking of the monastery

        brings a breath of calm

            

10-12-26

Everything grabs at my attention

    even with my phone only accessing the Royal app

The temptation to spend money

                        to indulge every desire

                        to do things "my way" (like in the popular karaoke song)

                        to live it up

We may all be headed in the same direction physically

    but not morally or spiritually

We may share the same dining options

    but not the same values

But while the siren song is strong,

    I need constant reminders

        that I'm part of a different kingdom

        that I have a purpose and a mission deeper than temporary pleasure

There's more to life

    than the here and now

My sea day Bible study group

    has helped to keep me grounded

    but I don't know how missional and prayerful I've been

Too caught up in the going and doing

    of the cruise lifestyle

10-13-26

We're going to Japan tomorrow!

I've said that many times (even though this is my first trip there)

September 29th - "We're going to Japan tomorrow!"

    Well, we're driving to the place with the airport

September 30th - "We're going to Japan tomorrow!"

    Well, we're flying to the place with the ship

October 1st - "We're going to Japan tomorrow!"

    Well, we're boarding the ship that will take us to Japan

October 13th - "We're going to Japan tomorrow!"

    No, for real!
    We'll step off our temporary boat home

        onto Japanese soil

    We'll be immersed in the language

        I've been studying daily for a year

    We'll see the sites we've only read about

    We'll use the yen that we exchanged at our bank back home

    We'll be in the country we've dreamed of for 7+ years!

Dreams will become reality

Plans will become experience

Future will become present

    TOMORROW!!!