15 things I never thought I would do……

By First Mate Tamera

This is a list of things that we do as cruisers that in my wildest dreams I would never thought I would be doing…..but now I do them on a regular basis.
1.  Smell my clothes to determine if they are clean – we have all done it at one time or another. Now  everything gets the smell test (except underwear – I still have some civility) after all most clothes get worn for several days before washing.
2.  Put my cell phone in a bag and hoist it up the mast to get a signal or hold it up above my head until Facebook finally appears.
3.  Take a bath in the sea and rinse off with little (and I mean very little) fresh water
4. Use such a small amount of toilet paper after doing #2 – that’s all I’m going to say about that.
5.  Get excited when laundry only costs $2.00 to wash and $2.00 to dry – especially after doing #1 on this list for a few weeks.
6.  Let my dishes pile up in the sink and then use 2 gallons of water to wash & rinse  - My goal is to use only one gallon – one step at a time grass hopper
7.  Eat dinner out of the pan I cooked it in – that is what college boys, single men (married men too) and now I know cruisers do it too – I like using plates and bowls to eat out of but than it messes with #6 on this list.
8.  Be concerned about the 12 volt power usage – I often hear “Are you done with the stove” or “are you still using that fan?”
9.  Say – Oreo’s are only $8.00
10. Run the 50 horsepower engine so I can have hot water – finally !!
11.  Buddy up on peeing so we don’t fill up the holding tank – the rule is you must ask the other person onboard if they have to pee before you actually flush.
12.  I never thought I would pass up a bath in an actual bathtub  – but I do.  Imagine a bath tub – Now imagine the same bath tub that an unknown number of people have used and the last time it was cleaned is unknown….not me…..I’ll pass thank you very much.  Not putting this naked butt on that surface.
13.  I never thought I would loose track of what day it was until I got Dementia or Alzheimer's.  I often found myself totally oblivious to what day of the week it was.  I have to ask other cruisers and that often sparks a conversation about who knows what day it really is – we usually come to a close enough conclusion and go with that – sometimes were right, sometimes were wrong.  It’s always Saturday to us retired folks.
14.  Consider doing laundry at 4:00 am – because no body else would be crazy enough to do it then right.  WRONG !!  The problem with this is we cruisers are like minded individuals.  That means we all think alike -  meaning there is a whole group of us at 4:00 am in line to do laundry…gee whiz people !!
15.  I never thought I would have to make a list of things I never thought I would do….until now.  I am sure there are more things I will do that I can add to this list…..feel free to add your “never thought I would do” items to my list.
Happy Cruising
Tamera