My vision of what life would be like on a four-month cruise included not making a bed, doing laundry, or cooking; visiting amazing places around the world; relaxing on my balcony with coffee delivered by room service every morning and a glass of wine at sunset; and, sitting by the pool with a book in one hand and a Pina Colada in the other on the days we were at sea. It would be the first time in my life when I could completely relax and enjoy doing nothing after 35+ years of a pretty demanding career with only an occasional one-or two-week vacation. The thought that transitioning to doing nothing might be difficult, never entered my mind.
I’m beginning the fifth week of my 18-week cruise, and I must confess that I’ve flunked doing nothing.
The cruise began with four days at sea, plenty of time to learn my way around the ship, visit the spa, fitness center, beauty salon, shops, two swimming pools, movie theater, dining room, casino, library, and have a drink at each of the 7 bars. Every night we receive a schedule of the next day’s activities that include a minimum of four options for every hour from 9 am until 7:30 pm. Live entertainment begins at 7:30 pm and continues until 11 pm. Then, there’s dancing at a couple of the bars that goes past midnight. I wanted to do it all, because it sounded like fun and I didn’t know how to do nothing.
After four days of going nonstop from sunrise to midnight, I realized I was tired, and we hadn’t even made the first stop on our itinerary. What am I doing, I asked myself, didn’t I come on this cruise to relax and visit wonderful places around the world? It’s great that there are so many activities offered on the ship the days we are at sea, but I don’t have to participate in all of them. I didn’t come on the cruise to learn to line dance or do arts and crafts, and It really is ok to relax, do nothing, and save my energy to explore the wonderful places I came on the cruise to see.
Since leaving Ft. Lauderdale on January 4th, we’ve stopped in Dominica; St Lucia; Belem, Recife, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Uruguay; and, Buenos Aires, Argentina. My favorite so far is Uruguay with Buenos Aires a close second. I believe Uruguay is a hidden gem most Americans don’t think about visiting. Antarctica and Chile are next on the itinerary and then we head over to New Zealand and Australia at the end of February. There’s plenty to see and do when I’m exploring places I haven’t been before and then relax and do nothing, other than decide what to eat and what to wear when we are at sea. So, that’s what I’ve decided to do.
I’m beginning to feel more comfortable just relaxing. My days at sea begin with coffee on my balcony and a 2 mile walk around the ship. After that, I just go with the flow. I don’t feel the need to keep busy every hour, which is a change for me. Before the cruise I was always thinking about what I had to do or must do and somedays feeling overwhelmed and unable to get it all done. Even though life on a four-month cruise is very different, I came on the cruise and repeated that same “must do everything” behavior that felt natural to me.
Changing behavior is always a challenge, and the transition to a new behavior feels strange. To keep me focused on the desired behavior I’m asking, “do I really have to do this, do I really want to do this?” Often the answer is no, and I’m free to relax. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by work or play, try pausing and asking yourself the same two questions. It could be the first step to making life more enjoyable and less stressful.
Will this new behavior last? Will I be able to master the art of doing nothing? Or, will I find that doing nothing is overrated and strike a balance between doing too much and not enough? I have three months left to find out.
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