The MS Narnia?

"It's okay.  Things work differently on ships."

I would like to clear the air on the validity of the above quotation.  I believe it to be one hundred percent false.  Please allow me to explain and, in the process, vent my frustrations.  You may feel free to bail now should you so choose.

When you embark on a contract working on a cruise ship, you do not pass through any type of Narnian wardrobe or threshold where all current relationships, problems, fears, aspirations, or general sense of decorum disappear.  The latter only applies if one begins with a sense of decorum; that is a topic for another blog.  For example, if you are in a romantic relationship while your feet are on dry land, that relationship does not disintegrate once your feet are on a structure that is floating in the water.  Now, if you and your significant other have discussed taking a break while you are away, so be it.  However, you can not issue a blanket statement of how "things work differently" as a sign of carte blanche to gallivant through the world of, ahem, extracurricular physical activities.  In short, you should not feel free to be reckless with the feelings of others just because you believe you are in the magical land of "ships."  Your current situation may have been altered in terms of geography, but, at the core, it has not changed.  Does your relationship or friendship evaporate each time you head out of town?  I pray that it does not.

I have also met too many people that seem to entirely give up any hope for the future while working on a ship.  Emotions do tend to ebb and flow like the tide in day to day life.  This is not a unique experience to seafarers.  I understand that there will be times when one feels down in the dumps, but you can choose to do something about that.  You have the choice to rise above whatever is getting you down and to seek a sunnier plain, for lack of a better term.  There are so many people that I have worked with who form an apathetic shell around themselves while at sea.  Why is this?  Perhaps I should plainly ask, "Why do you not care about anything anymore?  Do you need to talk?"  That would only work if the other party is interested in speaking about subjects that move past the usual, "How many contracts have you done?" type of conversing.  Take heart!  We, as human beings maneuvering our way through life, are all in the same boat…in this case, quite literally.  I have troubles, too!  How about talking it out?  Let us help one another on the journey of living rather than metaphorically donning the life preserver, jumping overboard, and silently riding out the storm.

I would want people to realize that this life at sea is still life.  It is a very real, very tangible, very live life.  How exciting to remain engaged with the "outside world!"

So, the next time someone approaches me with a lewd comment or apathetic view joined with an obligatory "Oh man, ship life."  I will smile and say, "Life is beautiful, if you want it to be."