I think everyone in life, no matter the age, needs to have goals. So, I decided to share a few of mine just in case you are looking for some motivation.
I want to be classy. I know all the basic rules of etiquette. What my mom did not teach me, I learned from my sister, but there are still situations in which I feel uncomfortable. We recently went on a cruise to Alaska, a classy cruise—you had to dress for dinner every night and sit down to a table setting of utensils you’ve never seen. Dinners were going well. No miscues, but then we took a side trip to a small town. We were to tour the town and then have a Middle Eastern lunch. (If you are wondering why Middle Eastern instead of Alaskan seafood, so am I.) There were twenty of us at this very lovely meal, and all was going well until I choked on a piece of chicken. There was no dislodging it from my throat until one of the other passengers performed the Heimlich and that chicken shot right across the table. I was alive but far from classy as I gasped for air and shriveled up in embarrassment. I’m worried about utensils? I need to learn how to chew my food.
I want to be brave. Now most things do not scare me. I have no trouble getting on an airplane. I can give presentations in front of 100 people without flop sweating. But when it comes to communing with Mother Nature, forget about it. Again, I embraced my fears on the Alaskan cruise and signed up for some expeditions that involved me getting close to the water and wildlife. As I boarded the inflatable boat that was going to take us on a scenic tour of a fjord (a word I never thought I would use), I realized there were no seats. No, you were supposed to sit on the outer rim of the boat, put your feet under a rope and hold on. I questioned the captain of the boat as to how many people usually end up in the water. He said he had not had one yet! Oh, how I hate the word yet when it involves me. The captain spent an hour taking us along waterfalls, showing us bears and mountain goats and providing a real Alaskan adventure. Well, except for me. I could not move. Seriously, no turning my head to see the bear because I was too fixated on keeping my feet under the rope and not making any sudden moves. My daughter was perfectly happy standing in this inflatable raft and using her very nice camera to take pictures. How could we be related? I survived but abandoned any future water expeditions. My husband and daughter, once I was out of the picture, canoed and kayaked all over the place.
So perhaps my goals are a little too lofty, but I am determined to become the classy warrior I know is in me just waiting to get out. Or perhaps I should just be grateful for my 63 years on earth, good and happy years, and not tempt fate. I may never be one with nature or know what utensil to use, but at least, I am alive. Peace my peeps. Oh, and learn the Heimlich. You never know when we might be dining together.
