Busy Doing Nothing

By now, I guess you are wondering, “Did Nancy enjoy her cruise at all?”
The answer is yes.
To begin with, we had a room with a balcony which meant I could step through a door and be kissed by the ocean breeze any time, day or night, clothed or not. It was nice. No, better than nice, it was great.
Next, we had the nicest possible table-mates assigned to our dinner table that you can imagine. Greg was pleasant and upbeat while Charlene was one of the most charming people I have ever met. She was always sweet, with plenty to talk about, and a positive attitude about life. She was the sole proprietor of a cleaning business. I never exactly understood what Greg did, but it was closely enough related to ships that he had applied for a job with the cruise line.
That's how much they loved cruising. They wanted to find a way that they could afford it as often as possible. This was their third of fourth cruise, so it wasn't just a passing fancy.
Char, while thoroughly in love with each moment at hand, said one thing that really got me thinking. She and Greg were constantly engaging in cruise related activities while Jerry and I were content to simply soak up the sun. A flier of ship's events were left in the cabin every night with a list of the next day's activities which led Char to say that no one had any excuse to be bored on board. She and Greg were always dashing from trivia contests to ice sculpting lessons. They learned how to roll towels into those clever cruise animals that found their way onto the bed every night after turn-down service. They danced and attended shows. They dressed for dinner. One day, Char was disappointed that she missed the Thomas Kinkade seminar where there was a drawing for a free art print.
And of course, they took on-shore excursions every chance they got. (I didn't because I figured that as much trouble as I had gone through to get on the ship, I wasn't going to get off until I had to.) Listening to their adventures was good enough for me. Also, as years go by,'adventure' sounds more and more like another word for trouble.
So the idea that people need to always be doing something to stave off boredom, got me wondering, when did this happen? Weren't vacations traditionally meant as opportunities to do nothing? That's what I always looked forward to when I had a job. When did free time become something to fill? Doesn't that make it not free?
I didn't do nothing all week, in spite of my puzzle books being in the trash. I attended the Thomas Kinkade seminar. I went to the juggling/comedy show. I even participated in a trivia contest, which I would have won had not certain other people played as a group. (I'm willing to bet that I am the only person who got the Power Puff Girls answer correct.) I sunbathed, day dreamed, and even read a book. ('Imagine' by Jonas Lehrer, a non-fiction that I highly recommend.) In general, I much enjoyed myself even though I have a few ascerbic observations about ginned-up fun.
So for eight days doing nothing or something, I enjoyed the cruise.
Nancy Sherer