Background: Jane had taken a cruise to Hawaii and Mexico with a friend in February, 2020. She got more of an adventure than she had planned. She was ill much of the time in Hawaii and cruised through gale force winds to Mexico where the ship was ordered to return to San Francisco in lockdown mode because of worsening COVID conditions. There the ship was denied docking and sailed around the coast for three more days awaiting quarantine orders for the passengers. We pick up her narrative as she prepares to disembark from the cruise ship to be flown to an unknown destination…
I kept going back to the strong sense of knowing that this experience had come into my life for a purpose; I just needed to find the gift. First, I decided to go toward the light side rather than the dark. So many people got negative and angry. I chose being cheerful and being present in the moment. Things were bleak and I told myself I could do one more day. So I took it one day at a time. That made it manageable. The hardest component was the unknowns and there were many of those.
Eventually, we were told we would be taken to a quarantine site in the U.S. There were four locations of these sites, but we didn’t get to choose. Authorities said we would not be told where we were going until we were on our plane. More of that not knowing and waiting.
About noon on the 20th day on the ship, the announcement on the intercom called my group to Deck 5 where I would line up to disembark. It was so glorious to be out of that little room after seven days of confinement! As I stood in the meandering line, I could see daylight and a glimpse of sky out the windows and the open door with the gangway leading us out to land—terra firma at last! Birds! Trees! What wonderful sights!
Quarantine in Georgia was pleasant after the ship’s confinement. The people caring for us were great. Most of them were deployed for the event so they were away from home too. I was in a room like a hotel room and I had windows! We could go out any time we wanted into our compound (chain-link fence all around the perimeter with guards on station); we just had to always wear our mask when out of our room. My roommate had been sent to quarantine in San Diego, so I had a private room in Georgia. My introverted self really appreciated the privacy. My nature-loving self soaked up sights of blossoming trees and flowers springing up. My ears delighted in bird songs, cheerful chatter and laughter, and even the sounds of traffic.
Finally, I returned to Boise on March 25th. Elation overwhelmed me when Tony picked me up at the curb bringing an end to the traumatic experience. Upon arriving home, we sheltered in place. I didn’t object; it needed to be done. At least I got to hug Tony and snuggle my cats. I had really missed those kitties.
Experiencing my life without any control, being confined to a small space that I could not leave, feeling disconnected from the world—all that changed the plans Tony and I had been considering for living out our senior years. The experiences of this trip demonstrated to me that I did not want to go to a senior living facility and give up so much control of my life. Since we are both fairly healthy, we decided to find a home where we could age in place, just a half mile from family.
My adventure was not what I had planned; that is the way life goes sometimes. The opportunity to help others, build character, and develop resilience were bonus gifts resulting from my choices. While the unknown is most disconcerting and can drain my energy, rather than imagining the worst, my better choice is to take one step at a time and cross life’s bridges when I come to them. Finally, I will remember to choose my reactions and be open to finding the gifts.