My grandmother used to say, you can learn a lot about a person in an hour of unaware observation. Recently, my family took a seven-day cruise with friends, and since I equate lying next to the pool in the hot sun to being a slab of bacon cooking in a hot pan, I opted to use most of my spare time people watching.On the first day, we headed to the dining hall for the dinner buffet. It was easy to be overwhelmed by all the options, but some people must have believed food rationing was about to occur. On this particular evening, I noticed many had loaded their plates as high as possible while nudging each other in line to get more. Others strategically positioned themselves at the carving/seafood stations to sample as they meandered around.
The following day, I stepped into an elevator, and before long, so many passengers entered that the door wouldn’t close. I realize that the idea of personal space is foreign to some, but the crowded elevator suddenly felt very unsanitary, not to mention the interesting clothing (or lack thereof) some were wearing.
The next evening, I observed swarms of teenagers around the ship enjoying their freedom from parental observation. That sight brought back fond memories of when children were able to play outside or ride their bicycle to a friend’s house without fear. I thought how funny it is that we worry about children playing in the front yard, but we let our teens roam a ship with 7,000 strangers in the middle of the ocean.
On the final morning, breakfast time brought the entire trip into perspective. I noticed several senior citizens walking hand in hand, gazing out at the water. I thought perhaps they were reminiscing about all their experiences and the memories they had made together.
I recently heard a pastor say that it is not necessarily that we don’t know what we don’t know; it’s that we don’t do what we do know. Being on this ship reminded me that we often let fear rob us of the joy we have, as we walk through life together.
to your business!