I woke up early this morning with a big, goofy smile on my face. My brain wasn’t fully online, but I cannot remember the last time I greeted the day feeling this happy.
Whatever it is, it feels good. Like, really good.
There is something magical about waking up at sea. No alarms. No to-do lists. Just hazy sunlight filtering through the curtains, the ship gently swaying as if to say, “I’m not in Pasadena anymore,” and the quiet realization that, for the next few days, I get to do exactly what I want, when I want, with zero guilt.
Yesterday, after successfully parking and boarding more than an hour earlier than Norwegian Cruise Line insisted was possible, I wandered the decks like a kid let loose in a mall. Wide-eyed, overstimulated, and delighted at every turn.
Each corner offered something unexpected: a new bar, live music echoing through the hallways, restaurants that smelled like heaven, and people, happy people, eager to chat, laugh, and toast to simply being here.
Somewhere between the sail-away party and a late-night dinner with new friends, something inside me clicked. A tiny spark. A reminder that joy is not something I have to earn. It is something I just get to feel.
If Day 1 was this magical, I can only imagine what the rest of this cruise has waiting for me. More laughter? More friends? More German chocolate cake? Please, universe, let the answer be yes.
For now, I am heading to the buffet for a little brekkie before I find a cozy nook to read and relax. Maybe on my balcony, maybe by the pool, maybe in the Observation Lounge. The beauty is, I do not have to decide just yet.
Bliss found me yesterday. Today, I get to follow it. Let us see where it leads.
Keep calm and float on!
Clint 🌈✌️
COLLIDE PRESS is a reader-supported publication.
Please consider becoming a Paid Subscriber or Patron.
ON THIS DAY = DECEMBER 1
BIRTHDAYS
1521 = Takeda Shingen = Japanese daimyō and monk 🌈
1761 = Marie Tussaud = French-English sculptor and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum founder
1913 = Mary Martin = American actor and singer
1923 = Dick Shawn = American actor
1933 = Lou Rawls = American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
1939 = Lee Trevino = American golfer and sportscaster
1940 = Richard Pryor = American comedian and actor 🌈
1945 = Bette Midler = American singer-songwriter, actor, and producer
1950 = Richard Keith = American actor and drummer
1951 = Treat Williams = American actor
1956 = Julee Cruise = American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor
1958 = Candace Bushnell = American journalist and author
1958 = Charlene Tilton = American actor and singer
1961 = Jeremy Northam = English actor
1970 = Sarah Silverman = American comedian, actor, and singer
1976 = Matthew Shepard = American student and hate crime victim 🌈
1985 = Janelle Monáe = American singer-songwriter and actor 🌈
1985 = Philip DeFranco = American media host and YouTube personality
1987 = Vance Joy = Australian singer-songwriter
1988 = Zoë Kravitz = American actor, singer, and model
2003 = Robert Irwin = Australian conservationist and tv personality
EVENTS
1952 = The New York Daily News reports the news of Christine Jorgensen, the first notable case of sex reassignment surgery.
1955 = Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama, sparking the Montgomery bus boycott.
1988 = World AIDS Day is proclaimed worldwide by the UN member states.
2006 = The law on same-sex marriage comes into force in South Africa, legalizing same-sex marriage for the first time on the African continent.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
PORTRAIT + QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I’m for human lib, the liberation of all people, not just black people or female people or gay people.”
Richard Pryor
Clint, So pleased day one went well. Always good to get off to a good start. Need a few photos? Fondly, Michael
Remember to sanitize every time you are at the buffet. That is where I got my Covid from on my last cruise. (Could have been the slot machines, but they had someone wiping them down constantly)