What’s your #1 priority tomorrow?
Every day my number one priority is to do things that maintain my peace and kindness.
I meditate. I read a daily devotion. I pray. I thank my higher power for my life.
And then I head out to face the day, but not until imbibing with a requisite number of coffees.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
I loved my Dad. He had a wealth of wisdom and he passed along some sage advice to his kids.
One of his best sayings was Don’t sweat the small stuff. And yes he said this long before that little book was published.
Not sweating the small stuff helps me get through easy and trying times. He was ravaged by cancer, hooked up to a bladder bag, a colostomy bag, and a portal. Yet he would still say don’t sweat the small stuff.
I remember asking him if this wasn’t big stuff, what is? His response was it’s all small stuff.
My father went out fighting. Living life to the fullest. And as his favorite vocalist, Frank Sinatra, sang, he did it “My way.”
I live in Florida so I miss seeing the beautiful fall foliage. . I don’t really like the shorter days but I do like everything pumpkin. Especially my pumpkin spice creamer in my coffee.
What would your life be like without music?
Music is everywhere. When we think of music, we think of singing, instruments, bands, and orchestras.
But what about birds? The musical chirping that may wake us in the morning. Or the pitter-patter of rain as it falls from the skies.
Music is the melodious sounds of bees working their magic in the hives.
Music is the subtle splashes of waves ebbing and flowing in the tide.
Music is the cooing sounds a baby makeslearning it has a voice.
Music is the sounds all around us and without it we have silence. Stark. Lonely. Sad.
How often do you walk or run?
I walk – I don’t run. Running isn’t good for the knees. It’s a pounding on your body. So I walk. Sometimes I stroll. Sometimes I power walk.
I have an Apple watch that tracks my steps. I try to walk 10k in a day. But that’s not always possible.
Some days I have 20k. That’s a lot for me.
It’s good to walk. Its good to keep moving. It keeps you younger than your years. It also helps with mental attitude as well.
So take a walk today!
What’s your favorite word?
I love this word. Without hope there is nothing.
What are you doing this evening?
Tuesday. September 10th. My brother-in-law turns 80. We will go out to dinner to celebrate!
Describe your ideal week.
Every day starts slow and easy. There is no pressure to do anything except be.
I drink my coffee, read a daily reflection, and sit quietly in meditation.
I go to the beach a mere 5 miles from home and sit beneath an umbrella taking in the sounds and smells of the sea.
I frolic in the surf, jumping small waves and occasionally riding one to shore.
I eat granola, yogurt, and fruit for lunch or a seaside lunch.
I meet up with friends for coffee and a chat.
I spend time with my husband planning our next great adventure.
We watch the sunset in beautiful vibrant shades of orange and pink.
Every day is different with some elements the same.
Most of all I am present in the now!
Well actually a boat ride from a ship. Today we went on an excursion out to see dolphins and then to go snorkeling.
It was a very warm day but the sun was out and we were off to have a bit of fun. Fury Management Inc. was the tour company.
The first stop was to look for dolphins. There were quite a few people who never saw dolphins in the wild so were really hoping to see them. Apparently, in the Key West area they don’t always swim in pods. We did find one. I didn’t get a shot and I’ve seen dolphins many times, most memorably in St. Vincent and the Grenadines where we had a pod of roughly 60 to 100 who swam around our boat and under it.
This little house in the water is a rental property. Apparently you can rent it nightly and the owner will boat you out there. You must be at the house before dark.
Snorkeling was a little rough. Too many waves but it was nice to be in the water.
It was a nice day on the water but we needed to be back on the ship by 2:30 so no venturing out in key west.
We played in the casino tonight and I had my first hand pay ever. $1563 on a 75 cent bet. It wasn’t a major or anything.
It was a fun day on Celebrity Reflection.
#celebrityreflection#casino#snorkle#dolphins#furymanagementcompany#handpay
Bruce and I usually spend days at sea on long cruises across the Atlantic, Pacific, or around South America.
This is our first short cruise together on the Celebrity Reflection. This is our third time on this ship
Our first time was back in 2016 when we took a Transatlantic from Fort Lauderdale to Rome. It was such a fabulous trip that we were hooked on cruising.
This trip is a four-nighter with stops in Key West and Royal Caribbean’s private island. It was basically a free trip. We paid the port charges and $78 to upgrade to a balcony. It was a little over $300 for the two of us. You can barely get a decent hotel room for that amount.
Last night we ate with 3 other couples. One of the things I like about Celebrity is escargot on the menu every evening. And of course, I had that and prime rib.
We played a bit in the casino later on. I’m not a big gambler so I don’t get a lot of the perks but I get discounts on cabins. There are some really high rollers in the casino.
Second day on board and we enjoyed morning coffee on the balcony.
Bruce hit the gym while I went to a womans pamper party. We spent some time having coffee with friends and had an early dinner.
We saw a group called Rebel. We’ve seen them before and they were excellent.
This morning we arrived in Key West. Our beautiful view from our balcony.
We will be off in a little bit for our snorkeling excursion.
#cruising#celebrity#reflection#rebelshowlive#keywest#ports#vacation
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