This Time, I Figured Out How to Relax!

Relaxing is not something that I do well. For the last couple of weeks, I did better than I thought.

How could one not relax on a cruise ship? Somewhere around 2010, I cruised the wrong way! I could not relax. It was hard for me to sleep at a decent time, and I averaged only a few hours of sleep a day.

Last week, I found myself on my second cruise and heading to the Bahamas for the Fauth Family Reunion, a trip similar to the trip I took in 2011 but vastly different.

This time, I was determined to have a good time. I had become so stressed out upon leaving, I knew that this trip had to be as relaxing as possible.

This trip had a ton of memorable moments that I hope to share over the next few weeks… Our stay in Florida, how I managed to eat what seemed to be tons of food and only gained four or five pounds, how my wife and I won a dance contest, how I became a visor guy, my experience with more alligators than I have ever seen, and more.

Of course, I wanted to have a blast… and did! But my main goal was to refocus my mind and simply relax.

It went well. The main reason it went well was the simplest of reasons… No free wifi!

I was tempted three times on the ship to purchase a wifi plan, but thankfully I was strong enough, I mean cheap enough, that I did not succumb to what has become a very unhealthy thing in our culture.

I will not say that access to the internet is a bad thing. I will say that access to the web has sent society down a path that I am not sure we can recover from. While there are many good things that come from the net, social media is often a cesspool.

So, I had the chance to unplug, and though I was disgruntled that I didn’t have access, it was the best thing for me.

I had the chance to experience life unplugged while on that ship, minus a few minutes while in Nassau. It was fun to be immersed in conversation with my family and those that I met and won’t likely see again.

I attended a few shows, ate a lot of food (shoutout to Guy Fieri and his burger joint), and had plenty of time to connect with people from behind the screen.

People weren’t shouting about politics, worshiping politicians, laughing at each other, spreading false information, etc. Life was good. There were no trolls, bullies, keyboard warriors, and inconsiderate posts… Just me, my family, plenty of entertainment, and an all-you-can-eat buffet.

There is a reason the Surgeon General wants to put a warning on social media.

I slept okay some nights, but not having to worry about work was a treat. I am extremely thankful for the staff of the Phillips County News. They worked hard to get the paper out and did an awesome job! I am super thankful and proud.