Dearest Rachel – You know better than most that I’m not a particularly social creature, honey. There are times when I can fake it – and on an individual, one-on-one basis, it may not necessarily be fake at all – but for the most part, it’s very hard for me to interact with new people,Continue reading “When the Stakes are Off the Table”
Tag Archives: socializing
What You Don’t Hear, You Don’t Miss
Dearest Rachel – There is a long-standing tradition among those that come down here to Just One that, after the evening debrief back at the hotel, a number of them would congregate outside of the auditorium in the back of the hotel campus (but not as far back as our rooms are, I should pointContinue reading “What You Don’t Hear, You Don’t Miss”
Just Not My Scene
Dearest Rachel – You probably know what’s coming here. Back in the day I always used to believe that I wasn’t a picky eater; given a situation where it was called on to be polite, I’m able to eat anything… and yet, somehow I wind up balking when confronted with some of your mom’s cooking.Continue reading “Just Not My Scene”
Speaking Terms
Dearest Rachel – I have to admit, this particular cold, and the measures Daniel and I have taken about it, feel like life under the Covid lockdowns. I haven’t been to the office since Monday – especially since Dad reported to me that Mom was dealing with a similar level of illness as I wasContinue reading “Speaking Terms”
What’s the Crowd in Heaven Like?
Dearest Rachel – I do so hope that, when my time comes and I show up at the Pearly Gates, you’re aware enough of my arrival to come and greet me there and walk me around, because I am not going to feel comfortable, walking around among that huge crowd. I know it sounds sacrilegious,Continue reading “What’s the Crowd in Heaven Like?”
A Place to Focus
Dearest Rachel – After so many days at sea from L.A. to Hawaii, from Hawaii to Polynesia, and now from Polynesia to New Zealand, I’m starting to become aware of just how much of that time I’m spending in my stateroom, rather than getting out and wandering amongst the crowds, such as they are (thisContinue reading “A Place to Focus”
The Takeaway
Dearest Rachel – One thing (for better or worse) about these letters is the fact that it forces me to try to organize the events of the day in a sort of cohesive fashion. I’m all but required to give them a title, and then proceed to parcel everything out into paragraphs. It’s a bitContinue reading “The Takeaway”
Breaking ‘Basel Syndrome’
Dearest Rachel – I wonder if, after November’s fiasco, whether I haven’t developed a mild case of what one might call ‘Basel Syndrome,’ where I’m simply more comfortable in my hotel room (or in this case, cabin – everything has a different name at sea, for whatever reason) than I am out wandering around andContinue reading “Breaking ‘Basel Syndrome’”
The Dissonance of a Different Drummer
Dearest Rachel – Morning of the fourth day. We were supposed to have been docked in Aruba by now, but that’s understandably been put on hold. Indeed, even while we were in a holding pattern in Kingston Bay, there was another alert topside, as ‘Alpha Alpha Alpha’ was repeated over the public address system. FromContinue reading “The Dissonance of a Different Drummer”
Letters to Rachel 