Manic Monday - Ship

Welcome to my version of

Manic Monday

Manic Monday is the 'baby' of the awesome Mo (a.k.a. Not The Mama) at It's A Blog Eat Blog World. It's a wonderful and fun way to spend Mondays each week. This week, Mo has chosen SHIP as the word we work/play with.

Over the years, the Ship of my Life has seen much smooth sailing.

The Ship of my Life has also seen many rough seas... maybe more rough than smooth.

There have, unfortunately, been several rats on my Ship of Life over the years. I think I've finally learned much about how to spot the rats and, if they make it aboard, to throw them overboard much sooner than ever before.

At times I have been a slave on my own Ship. A slave to other people, and to the rats I told you about. Mostly, I've been a slave to my own negative thoughts and beliefs, to my poor self esteem, my lack of self worth. I sometimes am still a slave to my 'old patterns'. I allow them to come up so I can see them and release them, make room for new, more healthy patterns.

I have experienced too many Ship wrecks while sailing the seas of life.

I've very nearly gone down with the Ship a few times, drowning in depression, unable to swim to safety.

I got tired of the pain of my Ship of Life always being on the rocks!

Then, I was bless to meet a Life Boat. Wilma helped to guide my Ship of Life to safety.

The little Ship of my Life became joined with a much larger Ship , and I learned that I am not now, never was, and never will be 'alone', or 'separate' as I've always felt. I found that I am one with THE Ship of Life... the Universal, Infinite Ship ... One with the Sea Itself. I know now that "All is One" and I am one with that One.

The Okanagan Centre for Positive Living became my 'home port', my 'safe place'. In the years since then, I have three times left this port...

... and the seas always became very rough again, in time.

When the Ship of my Life got bashed and broken and rusty....

... or when this resulted in another Ship wreck, I returned to the safety of my port in the storm. I returned and I was welcomed with open arms.

To tell you I never go adrift any more would be a lie. Though, now when I notice my Ship going adrift in some storm, I have 'tools' and 'skills' to get it back under control. I also have help from those who love me and care about me, from those who know how to reach out and help in ways others don't know. I turn to my pastor, to the "Captain of the Tall Ship" for guidance.

I at times get 'stern' with myself, expecting me to be 'better', to know better, to be farther along in the sailing of my Ship, to be 'above' mistakes. Then I remember the Truth, and I cut myself some slack. I forgive myself and see that something else is coming up for me to recognize and let it go... learn from it. After all, it's all about learning and growing, about becoming.... Yes, becoming.

The time came for me to take my life in hand and steer it in the direction I choose for my Ship to go. First I must get clear on where I want my Ship to go, then set the coarse and steer in the right direction. When I find my Ship going off course, I just adjust the steering and get back on course.

I can't say my Ship will always have smooth sailing from now on, but I know that I have a lot more choices now, a lot more 'control' in my life than I even knew about before.

One thing I can tell you, however, is that I will never say I sat on a bench and watched my Ship sail by without me. I am the Captain of my Ship, the creator of my life!! My thoughts and my beliefs create my life experiences.

Learn more about Manic Monday here.
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PS:

I was blessed to go on a family cruise from Vancouver BC up to Alaska!! For the most part, it was awesome!!! The sites were incredible, the food was abundant and delicious, events on the Ship, and off, were plentiful. I would go again in a minute, if given the opportunity, but never again on Holland America Lines. You see, the sewer system was backing up in some of the cabins, and the one Mom & I shared was one of them. The first time wasn't too bad, the flood was only in the bathroom and hallway, but the second flood was very bad. I was sleeping when Mom started calling to me to wake up. I'd only gotten to sleep a very short time before this as I was in the night club with my older brother, so waking and getting up was not what I wanted to do, but I did. Mom was saying something about the toilet overflowing and flooding, and half asleep I didn't understand fully until my feet hit the floor!! OMG, I was in 2" of sewer water! I grabbed our suit cases from under the beds and anything else that was getting wet, I tried calling the front desk but the phone wasn't working, I ran down the hall in my housecoat looking for help in the early hours of the morning. The only people I could find were setting up for everyone going ashore in the port of call we were docking in that morning. I told them we needed help and why, and they told me to call the front desk... I told them I'd tried and the phones weren't working. It took way too long to get help, but finally a 'cabin boy' came along... not ours, but I didn't care. As soon as he saw what was happening he 'flipped out' and went into high gear to stop the water to our toilet.

The flood was so big that the water ran under the wall and flooded the cabin my sisters were sharing, and a little bit but not much under the wall on the other side of our cabin and into the cabin my brothers were sharing. The cabin attendants vacuumed the water up and put big blowers in to dry the carpets in our cabin and 'the sisters' cabin, but they stunk!! Of the two cabins, our was the one that stunk the worst, but 'the sisters' was very bad too. You could hardly breath it was so bad. We had people down to see the cabins and all they would do was to put a machine in to take the odor out, during the hours it was in there we couldn't be, and within a few minutes of it being taken out, the stink was back full blast. Mom has lung problems and is on oxygen, so no way could she stay in that cabin, nor was it safe or comfortable for me. All 'the powers that be' would do for us is to say "So sorry. There's nothing we can do.", "So sorry. No, we can't move you to another cabin. There aren't any others." "So sorry. No, you can't go sleep in the spa. You'll just have to stay in your cabins." In the end, we moved the mattresses from Mom's and my beds, one to the floor of the brothers room and one to the floor of the sisters room. My brother Bernie slept on the one in the sisters room and Terry slept on the floor in their room, giving their beds to Mom & I. We were like that for 3 nights, I believe it was, until the last night we were able to move back as the smell had finally slacked off to where it wasn't too bad any more. All the 'compensation' we got was a bottle of wine sent to two of the rooms, ours and the sisters. The sisters and brothers drank both bottles when I wasn't there, so I never even got a taste.

Once home, sister M complained to her travel agent, who took it up with Holland America Lines. All they offered us was that each room would get a $200 on board credit to be used on our next cruise. Ya right.... as if there'll be a next cruise with them after that. When you pay that kind of money for your holiday, you expect better treatment that that.

Would I take another cruise, to Alaska or elsewhere?? You bet I would, in a nanno second, if I had the money or the opportunity!! Would it be with Holland America Lines? NO WAY!