Life in a Bubble

Life on a ship is so sheltered, yet vulnerable. I see on CNN the devastation that's happening in the south due to Katrina. It feels the same as when 9/11 happened back in 2001. The economy is at risk, fuel prices are rising, and people are in need in our own country. Out here in fantasy land it's like a little bubble. As all this is happening, people are smiling and enjoying themselves. I see (for the most part) happy people on a daily basis. Even amongst the ship's crew. Not the same as living in the realities of land. Especially New York. I can't imagine that this affects New Yorkers that much since they don't drive other than it might raise prices on other things. My California friends though will be feeling the effects of this latest disaster. They are so dependent on cars to get around over there and seeing a gas station charging $6.02/gallon on CNN is outrageous. Life on board is pretty simple. My food is cooked and prepared, my room is cleaned, I have fresh towels everyday and fresh sheets every couple days, I can walk to my job, and I'm taken to a new place everyday (even if it repeats from week to week). I don't have the financial burdens and woes of being on land. I also miss all the bad news that happens. I get tidbits and since Katrina is the main focus right now it's all I get. I get this nice bubble that everything's okay as long as the ship is full. If the ship is full then people can afford to travel and enjoy themselves. It makes it a difficult transition to go back to land as I remember from 5 years ago. Your mind is in this extended vacation mode. That's one aspect of its vulnerability. Another aspect is relationships with people. At times communications with land are tough so friends and family get the short end of the stick. On board you can become dependent on this cohesive family. I'm thankful that the ship is so friendly and that our cast gets along. I'm also thankful I have someone on board to ease my loneliness. Life on board can get very lonely if you can't depend on each other. Just as long as you can also separate yourself at times and focus on yourself. There's a lot of time to focus on yourself out here. Vulnerability increases as you become too dependent on each other. It's what I'm struggling with right now. For almost 5 years I was dependent on one person to be there for me always. It's hard to let go of that dependency on others and focus on myself at times. It's the hard part of ship life for me right now. I suppose this will make me stronger and ready to come back to NYC when I'm ready. Right now I can be thankful that I'm in this bubble and do not have the stresses of land life on top of overcoming my over dependency on others to get through a day. I'm also thankful that the only devastation I had to experience was minor so far (the Northeast Blackout of 2003). It wasn't even that devastating. No damage was done, not really many lives lost, just widespread confusion and discomfort. Other than a few bumps, my life has been smooth sailing so far.