I snapped the photo above from my balcony just after I woke up this morning. The horizon looked like a soft watercolor of blues, greys, and golds as the ship moves (gay-ly?) forward toward Puerto Vallarta. What a wonderful way to start the day!
Now I’m starting to understand why so many people I’ve met so far on this trip are regular cruisers. There’s something about waking up at sea that makes everything feel softer, calmer, and somehow more possible.
Yesterday, I spent most of the day nursing some trouble. Nothing dramatic, just enough to keep me operating at half speed. Honestly, it was probably the universe telling me to slow down. Especially at the bars and buffets. So I listened.
I read for hours. I wandered the ship like a curious puppy, sniffing out quiet corners and hidden gems. I people-watched. I daydreamed. I read. I ate sensibly and sipped ginger ale. And I let myself “just be” instead of trying to perform or produce.
By the time the sun set, I found myself back in the Observation Lounge. If there’s an at-sea sanctuary, that room is it. Floor-to-ceiling windows. Cushy chairs. Drinks that taste like vacation. And last night, a pianist whose fingers tickled the ivories as she sang along to classic and contemporary favorites.
Her set list was full of familiar tunes—standards, love songs, little nostalgic moments wrapped in melody. But then she played the song: Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.”
The first notes hit me in the gut. Not in a sad way, but in that way a song can slip past your defenses, tap you on the chest, and remind you that you’re alive. And changing. And fighting for something you may not have fully named yet.
This year has been…a lot. My inner world has shifted as dramatically as my outer one. New home. New rhythms. New friendships. New challenges.
It has been a season of endings and beginnings, of rewriting old stories, and of trying to trust that the next chapter will unfold and envelop me. Sometimes willingly. Sometimes kicking and screaming.
So hearing that song, in this moment, floating somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, felt like a wink from the universe. A reminder that change isn’t just coming…it’s already well underway.
Maybe that’s the beauty of waking up at sea. You can’t always see where you’re headed, but you can feel movement. Momentum. Possibility. Salt air and second chances.
Today, I’m choosing to believe Sam Cooke was right: a change is gonna come.
And maybe, just maybe, I’m finally ready for it.
Keep calm and sail on….
Clint 🌈✌️
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FYC = FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
ON THIS DAY = DECEMBER 2
BIRTHDAYS
1859 = Georges Seurat = French painter
1863 = Charles Edward Ringling = American businessman and Ringling Brothers Circus co-founder
1891 = Otto Dix = German painter and illustrator
1910 = Russell Lynes = American photographer, historian, and author
1913 = Marc Platt = American actor, singer, and dancer
1914 = Bill Erwin = American actor
1923 = Maria Callas = American-Greek soprano and actor
1925 = Julie Harris = American actor
1928 = Guy Bourdin = French photographer
1944 = Cathy Lee Crosby = American actor and tennis player
1945 = Penelope Spheeris = American filmmaker
1946 = Gianni Versace = Italian fashion designer 🌈
1954 = Dan Butler = American actor, director, and screenwriter 🌈
1963 = Ann Patchett = American author
1963 = Brendan Coyle = English actor
1968 = Lucy Liu = American actor and producer
1970 = Joe Lo Truglio = American actor and comedian
1971 = Wilson Jermaine Heredia = American actor and singer
1978 = Jason Collins = American basketball player 🌈
1978 = Nelly Furtado = Canadian singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
1981 = Britney Spears = American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
1983 = Action Bronson = American rapper, songwriter, chef, and tv host
1991 = Charlie Puth = American singer-songwriter
EVENTS
1927 = Following 19 years of Ford Model T production, the Ford Motor Company unveils the Ford Model A as its new automobile.
1939 = New York City’s LaGuardia Airport opens.
1970 = The Environmental Protection Agency begins operations.
1982 = At the University of Utah, Barney Clark becomes the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
PORTRAIT + QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Even Michelangelo got paid for doing the Sistine Chapel. To those artists who say they’re doing it for the love of art, I say: Get real.”
Gianni Versace
Thanks for sharing and reminded us all its okay to slow down a little. The song hits right on the spot as a good reminder too.
I love that you listened to the universe and operated at half speed. Sometimes wandering and people-watching is the most productive thing we can do for our souls. So glad you found that sanctuary in the Observation Lounge.