Doldrums and Rainbows

3/4

The past few days have been slow and difficult. There hasn’t been as much ship-work to do, so we have been standing by, basically idle for most of the day with spurts of work here and there. Not only that, but a cloud has fallen over much of the crew, and people seem a bit gloomy and disconnected, the results of the bizarre schedule and disrupted vibe onboard due to all the unorthodox requirements of our charter.

Also contributing to the difficulty of the last few days was the lack of a discussion buddy.

I’ve had a couple really great conversations here or there, but the squally demeanor onboard has all but severed the lines of recreational communication. So I’ve had lots of time to myself, which I normally love, but I’m surrounded by new friends and I’m really itching to get to know them better.

The past few days, if anything, have been a good lesson in patience. Not only am I stalled in my relationship building efforts, but the lack of ship’s work has slowed me in the process mastering all the skills involved in sailing, something I’d like to have done by say, Thursday.

However, with all the downtime I’ve had in the past few days I’ve spent a lot of my time in prayer, reading, listening to music, and in meditation, and it has been fantastic. I’ve also gotten some work done on a project for a friend that I’ve been behind on. (Sorry Charles, almost finished with it)

Plus, G.A.P.=God answers prayers, I’ve found a shipmate who has noticed the same bummed-out-ness of the crew and we had a great conversation last night, so hopefully it is the first of many (it really was an answer to a prayer, because for the days prior I was constant asking God for some meaningful interaction).

Also, today I finished my open water SCUBA certification which I am really excited about. Even better, I found out that the charter has a hotel booked up for their other group members, and the hotel provides with diving services for its clientele. One of the charter’s big-wigs said we can get free equipment and dive trips if we just mention the right names, so that’s pretty cool too.

Only one picture this time. A couple days back we were motoring down the southwestern corner of the island. The afternoon was gusty and rainy and just as we were passing by a quiet coastal village nestled in the green valley a rainbow materialized, framing the whole thing too perfectly to pass without a snapshot. My kindest sympathies to all locked in wintry mires or Oklahoma City in general, here it is: