For a week, I am in my own cabin. I requested one because I have really been having a lot of trouble getting my sleep right (and driving my cabinmates insane when I don't hear my alarm, which is frequently now). I was afraid I would have the smallest cabin on board – with literally two feet of space around the bed (bunk bed). But sometimes the ship leaders are full of grace, and they gave me an empty couples' cabin – with a double bed, bathroom, and even a tiny fridge! And it is enormous! (Well, relatively speaking – maybe 8'x14', which feels enormous to me now!)
I feel like I'm on a proper vacation – I mean, I can turn the lights on and off whenever I want, I can play music whenever I want, and I can play it loud if I want because there is nobody in the cabins around me even, and I don't have anyone coming in and making noise in the middle of the night, and, AND, I can actually sit up straight in bed!! At first it felt very strange to me not to have anybody else in the room, but it took precisely one night to change my mind, and I pretty much adore it. Being alone is really a high luxury on the ship, and I am really soaking up every minute! Now I don't have to be up past 1:00 in the morning in order to be alone or have a decent conversation. And I even went shopping tonight and bought delicious Mediterranean food for under $4, which just fit into my budget – and my mini fridge!! :-) (You see why it feels like a real vacation?)
In case it's not immediately obvious, I am loving these little luxuries. It's really wonderful. I've been pretty busy/stressed lately, largely related to my job (lots of fun, but high stress sometimes!!), and this is a much-needed break. But you know what I was thinking? These are such small things that are such a blessing to me right now. It would be so very easy just to get used to them – and I have been used to them for most of my life – and then they would immediately cease to have any meaning for me. This “break” wouldn't mean anything at all to me – in fact, it could be detrimental – if it stretched on too long.
Is it possible that some blessings – particularly material ones – are best taken in small doses?
1 comment:
I definitely agree about the small doses thing. Love you, Jessie!
PS: I've been working on another letter for you. It's written in a few different places right now: on the computer, on paper, on an envelope. It's in process.
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