Why hasn't there been a new blog here in weeks?
Excuse 1) Because I did not plan ahead very well.
Excuse 2) Because I've been battling my first cold in three years.
But before I needed to make excuses, there was an adventure that I'm about to share. Remember the essays we were forced to write in grade school - "What I Did During My Summer Vacation?" Well, this is a report on what I'd planned to do on my vacation and what actually happened.
After being relatively homebound for three years, I couldn't wait to get away, out of town, almost anywhere. So I seized the opportunity when I was contacted, making plans to take a cruise with old friends. It had been more than eight years since we'd cruised together and I was so looking forward to being together and reminiscing. It didn't matter where the cruise was headed.
And then, at the last minute, they canceled.
They expressed health concerns but made arrangements for me to share dinner each night with the rest of their family...whom I did not know. For the rest of the nine-day trip I would be alone.
Being an introvert, and a writer who plots in her head while staring into space for hours, I've never needed to spend 24/7 with other people. Still, I dreaded the long trip by myself to places I'd been before.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered several other delightful women traveling alone. Each of them, well over sixty-five assured me they'd been traveling alone for some time and enjoying it. The "Wicked Widows" were great fun. Sisters, they usually traveled by themselves and encouraged me to do the same. At breakfast one morning I met a retired Kentucky librarian and we talked books. For a long time. Loved it! At another breakfast, a lovely lady, originally from Germany, talked politics with me. The folks from Canada were fun and informative too. Then there was the woman from New Jersey who cruised a great deal and gave me many helpful hints. Of course, the folks I dined with each night became special friends, graciously including me in their family meals.
Totally by accident I made new friends and had a wonderful time. And I learned. If there is somewhere I wish to go, to see, to do...I will. And I will make new friends along the way. I'll no longer worry about being alone. The travel club I joined several months ago isn't necessary any longer.
When I arrived back home, I arrived sneezing. Because I hadn't had a cold in years (Thank you, masks!) I wasn't sure what was tickling my throat. I took a Covid test immediately but tested negative. So, I caught a cold somewhere during my travels. A small price to pay for the fun I had and the fabulous people I met on my summer vacation. Going solo.
If I can do it...you can do it. Traveling solo is just one way to enjoy adventures in aging!
