Alta Mar/ High Seas

 By Elvira Sánchez-Blake

It feels as if the world has slipped into a different orbit. We have sailed the Pacific for numerous days with only a single stop. Around us, only the boundless sky and the vast sea, as we engage in amusing activities lost in a reverie that detaches us from the happenings of the world.  

I have relished my time at the gym and the soothing thermal waters of the spa. I've joined a choir and sang Latin songs with a guitarist playing on the deck. We savor exquisite international cuisine, attend engaging shows, and partake in enlightening lectures each evening, all while finding moments to read from the ship's curated libraries. We learned about whales and birds; Arctic journeys and Polynesian culture, as well as the economic challenges of small islands. We have also found delight in the fabulous performances every night at the Star Theater.

Everything feels idyllic and wonderfully comfortable. The most enjoyable activity has been the Creative writing workshop, where I explore and refine techniques for expressing ideas and crafting stories in a fun environment guided by professor Julie. 

Roberto and I have found each other again in this place of solace free from every day's obligations. It’s so comforting to be able to sleep late in each others arms and enjoy meals without thinking about shopping, cooking  and cleaning. We delight in simple pleasures: reading, attending talks, savoring a prosecco in the Atrium while listening to Lydia at the grand piano, and just by holding hands while the sea sways beneath us. 

We spend time just gazing at the point where sea meets the sky and let the mind flatten. You can lay in within that vastness, wrapped in it, lethargic, absorbed by the infinite horizon. Sometimes the sea is calm, at other times it is bumpy; whitecaps rolling in sequences against one another. Only a lone booby bird has crossed against our balcony. 

I choose not to dwell on the turmoil unfolding in distant lands, where wars loom and a bunch of egomaniacs rule the world. The high seas offer a space for mindfulness and relaxation. It makes me realize that there is more than ambition and ruthlessness. I am giving myself the freedom to simply enjoy it.