In 2019, I went on a solo cruise, leaving both FCP and XGFJ at home. This was one of my most enjoyable cruises, as I did not have to care about what someone else was doing. I didn't have to deal with FCP wanting to be the center of attention, and I didn't have to care about XGFJ dragging me out to do things I wasn't interested in at the time. This cruise was all about me and my relaxation, and I enjoyed all the days I was on the cruise.
On the cruise, I met two people I wanted to keep in touch with. One fell by the wayside. The other, I'm still in contact with today. This person (who I'll call CLK) lives in Canada, and we haven't seen each other since that cruise. After Covid travel restrictions were relaxed, she passed through the NYC area on her way to/from a cruise. Unfortunately, we weren't able to connect with each other then. And today, I received a response to an email I wrote a couple of days ago.
CLK has been busy with her career, and is busy taking care of her aging parents. Before Covid hit, she was scheduled to take a Panama Canal cruise on my favorite NCL ship. Sadly, her mom had some ailments which caused CLK to cancel her cruise, and then Covid struck. Things became hectic for CLK, as being a caregiver took up the past 2 years of her life outside of her full time job, and she had some issues of her own.
It's always a pleasure to receive a letter from CLK, as it allows us to keep in contact - and hopefully, meet up with each other again. She now has a cruise scheduled with her family scheduled for later this year, and has a moonlighting gig as well. I'm rooting for her and her family, as her mom is dealing with health issues typical of someone born 80-90 years ago. I hope that next time I receive an email, that some of her mom's issues have been successfully dealt with. But until then, I'll just wait for her next email....
