High Tea at Sea.

There are some things in life, it seems, that receive a lot of "hype". Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, fried foods at the fair, acrylic nails (the after effects aren't worth it, ladies...after 5 years my nails have finally recovered), self imposed dietary restrictions, coffee with 5 preceding adjectives (decaf nonfat light soy vanilla latte anyone?), and reality television to name a few.

For the past few years, as May rolled around, large groups of my friends boarded cruise ships together. Each time, they came back raving about the vacation and rearing to plan a new one for the next year.

My previous opinion of cruise ships was formed from a 20/20 special I watched several years ago. In the hour span of television, ABC successfully convinced me that cruise ships were indeed cesspools and that there was a 90% chance that if I went on one, my life would turn into a television special titled, Unsolved Mysteries: Cruise Edition, after I was drugged, dragged, or dropped  in the bottom of the cruise ship or on the shores of what would be sold to me as "paradise". Dramatic? Perhaps. Persuasive? Absolutely.

I stopped watching 20/20...for obvious reasons. Turns out basing your life decisions off of the worst possible scenarios that happen to less that 1 percent of the population is no way to live. Unless you enjoy breathing in paper bags and anxiety attacks.

After the initial shock of televised cruise nightmares wore off, I booked a cruise last May on the Carnival Triumph. If you watched the news between January and May of last year, that name may ring a bell. Long story short, the ship caught on fire, passengers were stranded, and my vacation was cancelled. My friends and I booked a beach house in Gulf Shores instead that same week, and I put "cruising" where I thought it belonged, on the "hype" list.

Turns out I am fickle in my opinions and easily persuaded (especially when offered a discount for my previous year's inconvenience) and booked a cruise for last week on that same ship with one of my closest friends.

I returned on Saturday, recant my "hype" statement, and am ready to write 20/20 a letter asking them to cease playing reruns of their cruise special.

I traveled to a country I had never visited, spent an unhealthy (but heavenly) number of hours in the sun, learned to Salsa dance, learned about the Mayan culture, swam in the clearest water I have ever seen, took a cooking class, danced in the dining room, ate more food than I care to mention, watched a hairy chest competition that gave MTV spring break a run for their money, and spent hours watching the waves (did you know that ocean sparkles?!).

Though the hairy chest competition and salsa dancing were noteworthy, that's not what I want to talk about.

 On the second day of the cruise, my friend and I took a look at the itinerary for the day at sea to
schedule breaks from basking in the sun (turns out spf 30 can't hold out for long against the sun's rays). 3 pm marked "tea time" in the main dining room. We jumped on the chance to eat dessert in the middle of the afternoon, attempted to look presentable after swimming in saltwater, and the waiter led us to a table. We were seated next to two women in their late 70's named Joann Lily and Shirley Freeman.

We quickly learned that Joann and Shirley were not only seasoned cruise goers but also seasoned vacationers in general. Not only had they been on 10 plus cruises, but also made roadtrips a priority. Crystal Bridges in Arkansas was next on their list.

As we all filled our teacups from our individual teapots, we exchanged stories about our families and lives in general. Both Shirley and Joann had been widowed for several years. From what I understood, Joann had been widowed twice. When she talked about her late husband, her eyes lit up. She said,"He was an angel sent down to me as a little piece of heaven. I could talk all day about him."

Joann and I exchanged stories about meeting strangers on vacation and how interesting it is to hear others' stories. Joann said "When you are friendly, you are sure to make friends wherever you go."

Amen to that. On the cruise ship last week, it fascinated me that more than 3,000 people were sharing the same space. All with different stories, and many from different parts of the world. I met people who had traveled to Europe countless times, couples who made it a point to cruise one week out of the month, and a couple who was on their honeymoon. I met a grandfather that used the phrase "as cute as a button" to describe his granddaughter.  I even met a 93 year old woman named Bernice at brunch who informed me of the benefits of eating ice cream. "It melts and goes into all the empty places," she said with a sly grin. "I would be in trouble if it all piled up."

Though each of these groups of people had never crossed paths before, they all had one thing in common. They were sharing experiences, sharing life, and making memories with people they loved.

Do you ever sit and think about what a small speck you are on the earth? While the thought could be intimidating, I don't think it has to be. I think maybe that is the way God intended it to be. When I think about it, it is so exciting that there are so many places to see, so many people to meet, and even better so many stories to hear. Joann and Shirley may have been in their seventies, but they were young at heart. They saw the world in front of them, and they were ready to see it.

After last week in Mexico and my trip to Canada several years ago, I have North America covered, at least enough to check it off the list for now. Perhaps its time to cross the big pond (is that the trendy thing to say these days?) to attend high tea on land.

For now, I'll have to settle for high tea at my friend's apartment. I'll take it. Whether in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on the high sea or thousands of miles across the world, I am so thankful God has placed so many people in my life who I love, people to share adventures with and learn from, people to laugh and cry with, people to travel with, and people to do everyday life with. People God Himself has written in my story to teach me what His love looks like and to walk alongside me as I learn about the world He created.

I raise my tea cup (or should I say my pinky) to many more trips with friends, family and loved ones, new places on the map, new memories, and living life with a young heart no matter the year on the calendar. Thanks to our new friends Joann and Shirley for sharing high tea and letting us be a part of your memories and helping us make new ones of our own.