Having many 'sea days' gives rise to a great opportunity. It is a chance to meet people. The ship seems somewhat crowded at times, so while sitting in close proximity to a stranger, it is easy to engage in conversation. All you need to do is ask "Is this your first cruise?" or "Where are you from?" I never met a single person who was reluctant to answer either of these questions and from there, further conversation would easily ensue. 

      I talked to a retired pipe fitter from Ontario who asked me how I kept fit. I met him sitting down behind a dining room table and could not really see the state of his fitness, or should I say fatness. Had I known, I would have been more circumspect with my pronouncements. 

     I met a retired plumber from Idaho whose hobby and passion was stock car racing. He had built 20 cars and was still building more with one of his sons. One of his photos showed his workshop on his property and the walls and shelves were lined with trophies and banners. He met his wife when he was 19 and she was 29. I saw the photo of a gorgeous young woman and he said that when he found out she was that much older than him, they were already planning to get married and he thought it would not matter. Now that she was 79 and he was 69, it seemed to concern him a bit, although she was put together just fine and looked to be very mobile, and was very sharp with her witty comments. 

    I met a Pilipino who was from Toronto and he filled me in on all the 'ins and outs' of the predominantly Pilipino crew and what their requirements were for obtaining employment on a cruise ship. It surprised me that most were University graduates with good grades in English. 

    I met a retired researcher who worked for the Canadian Armed forces in 'researching weapons and armament platforms'. I probed, gently, after his wife reminded him to be careful what he said. I broached the subject of the Israeli defense system called the Iron Dome and whether he thought their laser beam technology was part of the incredible success of taking down 99% of missiles shot into Israel by the Hezbollah. Interestingly, this was his last project before he retired and it was obviously his hot button. What he told me was fascinating and if I wrote it down here and you read it, I would have to kill you. 😅

    The most interesting aspect of meeting all these people was the three amazing coincidences that happened in a matter of two days. The first one concerned two elderly quilters from Vancouver Island. I was not keen on the conversation until one of them mentioned that her husband worked for BC Tel and did servicing along the west coast of BC in communities like Bella Bella, Bella Coola, and Ocean Falls. I perked up at that and asked her if she had ever been to Ocean Falls. Yes, she had, and we were just starting to reminisce when the other quilter piped up that she had been born in Ocean Falls. That opened a most interesting flood gate as I lived there for three years and busylizzy and I started our married life there. 

   The next day we sat with am unfamiliar couple in the dining room. He and his wife were from Ft. MacMurray. When I told him that I would be most interested to talk to him about that city because I own a condo there, he asked where it was located. It turns out that his sister lives in the same complex where I am an owner. 

    Later that evening at the show, we sat next to a fellow a bit older than me who grew up in Janzen Sask. When he found out I grew up in Lanigan, he told me everyone in Janzen either drove east to Wynyard for groceries, or west to Lanigan. I told him my dad owned the grocery store in Lanigan and he asked, "the Shop-Rite"?  Yes, it was my dad's and he remembered the store well. Who knows, I may have seen him in the store many times with his parents, of course, not knowing that all these years later we would meet in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 

    It is indeed, a small world, after all.