So, having said all that, I'm looking at my flyer and thinking about a BE. The deadline is approaching FAST. Who knows, maybe it's already too late. I haven't checked, perhaps it's full and this is a moot point. It's a funny thing, me and this cruise. Ever since the first one, I have yet to sign on early in the game. Sometimes it's been deliberate, as now, but mostly it's been due to life and its uncertainties making me unsure if I can go. This time, though, it seems to be simply about not being able to decide. The last cruise was hard for me in some ways. I did not enjoy the motion of the ocean! It was a little more than I was comfortable with, and the fact that our cabin window leaked some of those waves right in on my bed didn't ramp up my comfort level much. Not functioning as clergy in any significant fashion also had something to do with my feeling a little meh, too, I think. Being with people who were doing what I often long to, and am pretty sure for all sorts of complicated reasons, don't believe I will be, is hard and sad, and stirs up the grief that most of the time I keep neatly tucked away.
So I haven't sent in my form and my deposit. And I don't have a cabin mate. Some friends are already bunked in with other folks, some are not going this year. A new local clergy friend who is thinking about going would only want a single cabin. So I don't even have the "slumber party factor" as motivation at this point.
It feels sort of weird to be blogging this back-to-back with the "Galship" post about the amazing and wonderful connections of BE 1. But, as all experiences are, that was its own moment, never to come again. And to say I do or don't want to go on the next cruise has less to do with prior experiences than just where I am today in this place in my life personally and professionally. But tick, tick, tick. Must. Decide. And I HATE making decisions!
7 comments:
No worries. You still have time! The first deadline is the 15th, and we still have some wiggle room.
Maybe think about your goals. What would you hope to get out of going?
I never go, way to certain that I would have motion-sickness...or be drowsy from the meds to prevent. Not my thing, although I love the idea of the wide open sea. I am also not so certain I want to be stuck on a boat. I'd rather go to a retreat center where I can walk and pray and have quiet-time than on a party boat.
Also, I totally understand how painful it might be to NOT be doing that which you are clearly called to do, to be priest in a parish. And, how hard it would be to (might be) to be on the cruise with others who are completely, for better or for worse, enmeshed in ministry....love to you as you ponder this...
Thanks Terri, you captured it well.
I'm still on the fence too (and don't have a roommate!) If you decide you want to go and room together, let me know!
Thanks, Sandy! Been reading your blog and it sounds like we would have fun. I'll keep you posted.
I would love to see you again, so selfishly I hope you decide to come. But I can definitely see your dilemma! I'll be praying for clarity.
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