CRUISING THROUGH LIFE

I had to check the date the other day (it was actually Wednesday, April 30) because I’ve completely lost all sense of time and space. We’re out in the Atlantic Ocean now, cruising and stopping at different ports in Europe aboard a ship run by Norwegian HX (formerly Hurtigruten).

This morning, we took a stroll through a tiny French town. I munched on a fresh baguette and sipped hot chocolate (honestly, I don’t even remember the town’s name). Back on the ship, I had a big salad for lunch and then took a nice, hour-long nap.

…Our journey started in Lisbon, Portugal (where I even interviewed the real real estate agent). Then we sailed to Porto, though it felt way too crowded for my taste. After that came Spain, including charming San Sebastián – a place we’d love to return to and explore more of. Yesterday we docked at a tiny fishing island off the coast of France, and tomorrow we’ll stop somewhere new (haven’t heard the name yet).

This whole voyage ends in Hamburg, Germany. During each stop, the guides often reminded us that just eighty years ago, these places were embroiled in bloody wars. Now, on this ship of 500 passengers, half of us are from various parts of Germany – and with the crew from Norway and the Philippines, basically everyone on board is chatting in English. In fact, there are people here from 23 countries.

Meanwhile, out in the world, things are pretty chaotic: wars in Ukraine and Gaza, an explosion at an Iranian port involving Chinese cargo, blackouts back in Portugal and Spain after we sailed away, a killing in Sweden, and elections happening in Canada. And through it all, mortgage interest rates stubbornly refuse to go down, and our office back home is as busy as ever.

All of this is going on while you and I are just cruising along – living our lives, encountering events (or “stops”) that we can only react to and talk about. It’s funny how it feels like life is one big cruise, isn’t it?

So, what’s my conclusion? I actually figured this out a while back after writing my book 42 Encounters with Dog Lovers – so much so that I put it on my business card. (If you don’t have the book or the card, feel free to ask for both just by sending an email to me). Here are the seven lessons I learned from Max, our beloved labradoodle:

• Life is a game.
• Life is short.
• Life is sharing love.
• Life is a journey.
• Life is making new friends.
• Life is a cycle.
• Life is learning.

I’ve picked out a few snapshots to share the expressions of love I’ve encountered along the way. You can find more stories in my book 42 Encounters with Love – I even had a reader who ordered ten copies for his whole team!

Care and share!