Cruise Ship Revelation

We're just back from a big family adventure around the Mediterranean Sea. Well, I'm just back. Brett stayed home on Pet Patrol and did his best to keep Grace's fur out of Erik's belongings. This was the first time I've gone to Europe as a married person without Brett also being there. It caused for great reflection upon my earlier years being a young, plans-less person as opposed to a slightly less young, much more comfortable in the world kind of person with a life back home that excites her. I spent a lot of time watching old folks on this trip. This was mostly because we were on a cruise and old folks were the majority clientele. Typically a trip to Europe means I spend my time watching young people; what are they wearing, what are they doing, that's a good looking pair, how long have they known each other? Where will we go hang out tonight? Things like that. 

But this time I wondered how long the old folks had been together, where have they lived, do they have kids that cause trouble or giddiness? Where have they gone. What have they done. Would Brett and I rather go-to-seed someplace European that focuses more on the things we value? How come no one builds beautiful buildings anymore?

Trips to Europe are always enlightening. 

Parallel to my big European thinking ran my big grad-school thinking. I'm currently studying in the realm of consumerism for school, so watching the cruise ship's crew put out masses of food for one thousand people three times a day really hammered home just how much stuff we eat and buy and need and don't need. The gross tonnage of food up in the dining area was really quite disgusting. And how much of it got thrown away at the end of each day? There were so many fat people with "big, swaying butts" (-Dad) who had piled their plates three tiers high with pastries and breads and sweets. How many chickens had to be roasted each day? What about the piglets? Then I thought about all the packaging - I don't usually mull over plastic packaging - but I sure noticed it here. Being on a cruise while studying consumer-rates and wondering about being an old person in the future kind of bummed me out a little.
When I'm old, I don't want to be a rich, fat, white person. I don't think they get it. 

In other deep-thinking news, I haven't been able to have my morning introspection time in over a month now. The main thing I've noticed is that its much harder to think deeply the longer you go without thinking deeply. What was it I was always mulling over? These days, I wake up with an upsettingly long to-do list, so I bolt right into action. Not taking the luxurious time to ask "why" about any and everything makes for a real shell of a Lue. This time next week, I'll be sitting in our new house, back at my big thinking. It'll be chaos in there - crap everywhere - can't find what I need - but oh boy it will be glorious.

Anyways, trip report coming soon.