Mama said there’d be days like yesterday. But she forgot to mention these kinds of days could happen in the middle of a cruise, surrounded by good food, great views, and grown-ass adults who are supposed to know how to be civilized and decent.
For starters, I wasn’t feeling great. I’ve been fighting a cold for days, and the chilly winds in Ketchikan pushed me over the edge. So I mostly stayed in my room, which didn’t help my mood.
Then came a few unfortunate run-ins with some equally unfortunate people. The kind who prove that being in paradise doesn’t automatically make you pleasant.
By the end of the night, I had slipped into a space I didn’t want to write from. So I didn’t.
This morning, I gave myself a little space. Took my time easing into the day. And then I found my way back to people.
What started as a casual breakfast conversation with one lovely woman turned into a full-on soul reset in the café with two more.
And just like that, my mental ship got righted again. Laughter came easy. Stories flowed. I felt like myself again.
All credit goes to the ladies. They were warm, open, funny, and real.
Just good people being good people. And I’m genuinely grateful to them for helping turn my whole day around.
This trip keeps reminding me of something simple: one bad interaction doesn’t get to define the whole experience…unless I let it.
The world is still full of kind, generous, interesting humans. Sometimes you just have to stick around long enough to run into them.
Yesterday chipped away at my faith in humanity. Today restored it.
There’s something about being at sea that amplifies everything. Maybe it’s the isolation. Maybe it’s the rhythm of the waves. Or maybe it’s just that when I step outside my routine, people reveal themselves a little faster.
The good and the not-so-good.
Today reminded me which one matters more.
I woke up grumpy and groggy. Now I feel lighter.
More open. More connected. More grateful.
Sometimes all it takes is the right conversation with the right strangers to remind you that humanity is still worth believing in.
Relax. Relate. Release.
Rinse and repeat.
Keep calm and carry on!
Clint 🌈✌️
P.S. Here are a few more photos from the Great American Lumberjack Show. Enjoy!
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
BORN THIS WAY ON THIS DAY
04-23 = Charles Silverstein (1935-2023) = American psychologist and writer 🌈
04-23 = Chris Beckett (1955- ) = British science fiction writer 🌈
04-23 = Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) = English composer and suffragist 🌈
04-23 = Élisabeth de Gramont (1875-1954) = French writer and aristocrat 🌈
04-23 = Halston (1932-1990) = American fashion designer 🌈
04-23 = James Buchanan (1791-1868) = American lawyer and 15th POTUS 🌈
04-23 = William Shakespeare (1564-1616) = English writer and actor 🌈
MAN CRUSHES OF THE DAY
“There are no problems, only opportunities.”
Halston
“...we know what we are, but know not what we may be.”
William Shakespeare (Hamlet, Act 4 Scene 5)
Nothing like righting the ship of life on a ship!
And thanks for the lumberjacks. They’re lumberjacks and they’re okay 😀
I'm going to risk boring you with a repetition. I mostly see children with grazes on their knees and elbows. They are mainly healed unless someone kicks or bumps on their legs and arms. Some people need me or someone else to kiss them better. And then there are some others - the wounded assholes - who constantly pick their own scabs, get angry at the blood and pain, then try to kick other people's wounds. Wan sends her best wsihes to you.