Beautifully Spoiled – Part One

On some level I have always known how incredibly I have been blessed — and so far beyond my imaginings, that I am what you might call “beautifully spoiled”. But then the question becomes, am I beautifully spoiled … or spoiled rotten?

Up until recently I thought of myself as an upbeat, optimistic person. But, over the last few years I’ve begun to think maybe that assessment was incorrect. Too many times unexpected events will send me almost immediately into a mental/emotional tailspin. When those occur, I go from happy and positive to negative and short-tempered in a matter of moments – if I give myself a chance to think about it, the change is actually a little bit frightening. And, recently there have been quite a few unexpected happenings in our lives precipitating my slide into that pit.

Let me cite the biggest example: the cruise we are currently on. First of all, we booked this cruise three years ago – so it’s been in the back of our minds for quite some time. With Covid, and all the resultant lockdowns and openings, it was one of those things we watched with a rather jaundiced eye; would it happen … or would it be canceled?

Since the original itinerary took us quite literally around the world, there were a lot of factors to be considered. About six months ago, we were informed that the cruise would be going forward, but since Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand and many countries in Asia were still closed to tourists, the first half of the cruise itinerary would have to be scrapped and reimagined. So, we waited to see what would happen before making a final decision.

Toward the end of the summer, a new itinerary was sent to us … and we accepted and booked the cruise. We were scheduled to leave from Miami on January 17^th and disembark in Los Angeles on May 29^th. Yes, you read that correctly – we would be on the ship for 4 ½ months!

As you might be able to guess, getting ready to leave the country for that long takes a little bit of pre-planning and preparation. Scratch that – it takes a whole lot! At least for me … not so much for Steve. (When it comes to dressing for dinner, guys have it a whole lot easier than women!)

The first speed bump happened when Steve went to see our dermatologist and she discovered a lump on the right side of his neck, at the base. He was scheduled for his annual physical on December 28^th –  so he showed it to the doctor to get his opinion. The physician did a sonogram, then called in his associate to check it out also and they both agreed that whatever it was, it was just all liquid, with no blood vessels feeding it, so it was unlikely cancerous. But they wanted another opinion plus further testing and were able to get him a consultation with a specialist the next day. That doctor checked him out, and then scheduled him for a CT scan on January 4^th with a follow up visit the next day to discuss results.

In the midst of all of that we had been packing the three garment bags and one suitcase with all of the clothing we would need on the ship, as it was being picked up by the shipping company on the morning of the 5^th. Plus, we were packing boxes of things that would be shipped to our hotel in Miami, and then taken to the ship along with us the day we embarked. There were a total of nine boxes; five 14” cubes, four smaller ones of varying sizes. Mostly they contained supplies that would be used up in the course of the trip: lotions, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc. Things that we might be able to pick up in a port – but no guarantees.

At Steve’s appointment the specialist discovered the lump was actually attached to his thyroid, but they couldn’t tell if it was on the surface or a part of the thyroid. So, that began the discussion of possible surgery. When he got home, he told me that if surgery was necessary the trip was off, as he would be unable to lift anything for at least six weeks afterwards. So now I was not only stressed about the packing, but about whether packing would end up to be a waste of time … and even more in the front of my mind and the pit of my stomach was the concern about him having surgery!

Just in case I’d been unaware of my tendencies before, my receipt of that announcement was a very clear indication of how well I do with uncertainty … not well at all! There were tears, and complaints, and questions with no answers – it was not a pretty picture!

However, they were working on getting him in for a combination ultrasound and biopsy appointment in order to get a more definitive answer to all the questions about what was going on. With the help of the physicians, and a dear friend, he was scheduled for that on January 10^th, with a follow up appointment at his GP’s office on the 12^th. And we were scheduled to fly from L.A. to Miami at 8:00 a.m. on the 14^th. Talk about cutting it close!

SO, on the 10^th, I waited impatiently for him to return home. When he arrived, I was sitting around our dining room table with my Bible Study group, who knew none of this. We hadn’t told anyone what was going on – we didn’t want a lot of questions that we had no answers for. Looking up at him, I asked how it went and he gave me a fairly noncommittal answer, which caused me to ask point blank:

“Is the trip on?”

“Yes, the trip is on,” he answered.

We then explained briefly what had been happening to my puzzled friends, he left the room, and I continued with the study, waiting until later to get the details. Which were that what they found was not a cyst as we had hoped it would be. It was, and is, what they are assuming is a hematoma, probably caused by an injury – it’s like a balloon that is filled with very old blood. So old and thick that it was difficult to withdraw much of it through the biopsy needle. However, they were able to get four samples, which seemed to be enough to tell them that there are no cancer cells or anything else that would cause immediate concern. For right now, it’s a situation of “wait and see”.

Putting away that file for the time being, we continued with our final preparations and headed off for LAX at 5:30 a.m. on the 14^th. (One day I’ll explain how much I dislike early morning departures.) Things were pretty much uneventful for the few days we were in Miami; we had a lovely room at the hotel, and successfully got ourselves and all of our suitcases and boxes loaded onto the ship on the 17^th. (We passed the final gauntlet with flying colors: our Covid tests were negative.)

Maybe I’ve said it before, but in case I haven’t – I really love cruising! Just the act of beginning to unpack was pleasurable and seeing familiar faces as soon as we boarded made it even better. I was SO looking forward to uninterrupted times of writing, both for this blog and for the sequel to Clandestiny. Not to mention long walks on the deck with Steve, or sitting on our balcony watching the world go by; looking out for whales, dolphins, flying fish; sunsets in the Caribbean … the list goes on. And, it all started out so beautifully!

Unfortunately that feeling only lasted for about 48 hours. And that’s the story for next time …

TO BE CONTINUED