Location: Somewhere in the Mediterranean

I’ve never been good at doing nothing — excuse me, at “relaxing.” Even at home, when the boys spend a morning at Grandpa’s, I fill the free time with shopping or running errands, cause I need to feel occupied. I need to feel like I’m accomplishing something. So spending a whole day on the ship is a bit of a challenge for me. I was starting to get bored and a bit frustrated — but then I read an email from a mommy friend of mine who reminded me to enjoy being able to eat a meal in peace, go to the bathroom by myself and not have to base my whole day on someone else’s schedule. Point taken.

So how have I spent my day? I slept in, for one thing, but for me that means 7 a.m., so there were still many hours to fill. I sat by the pool reading the book I borrowed from the ship’s library while Chris relaxed in the hot tub (he chatted with one woman from New Zealand who explained that her journey to Europe involved 24 hours just in the air, which made our trip seem like nothing). We browsed the shops on board, sat for a while watching the sea, and went for an early lunch. There’s a magician’s show this afternoon and then someone’s giving a presentation on the ancient Mediterranean, so I might check those out, and then tonight there’s another sing-and-dance number on the main stage. Life could certainly be worse.

And at last the weather is improving! The sun peeked out of the clouds and I think it’s about 20 degrees outside, so I can put away the fleece jacket I’ve been wearing and think about summer again. Tomorrow will be my first time in Africa — it should be an interesting day.