Norwegian Encore - Transatlantic - Day 7

Norwegian Encore - Day 07 - December 9, 2024 - AT SEA

The start of 6 days at sea! This is when I feel like I can just settle in, do as much or as little as I’m in the mood for, stare at and listen to the ocean.

I woke up to a beautiful sunrise and realized I hadn’t really made a point of seeing them on this trip. It was going to get easier getting up early, though, as we were starting to gain hours.

The first thing I had planned for the day (after breakfast) was the seminar by the mentalist, Brent Webb, I’d seen a few nights before. This one was in a smaller venue, the Social Club. I was still feeling some cult vibes, but…why not.

I found a seat, several rows from the front. A couple minutes later, a woman sat down next to me. We laughed when we admitted to each other that we thought we were sitting in a place that would be safe from any audience interaction. Her name was Carly and she was from North Carolina.

As we listened to the seminar (turns out we had no reason to worry about any audience participation - he took questions, but didn’t go beyond that), I thought about the concepts and how they’ve played out in my own life. When people talk about eliminating negative thoughts, visualizing the things that you want, believing that you can achieve your goals…it can sometimes feel impossible. Sometimes I have an internal “easy for you to say” type response. On the other hand, when I really do have a goal in mind and am motivated, things seem to fall into place. Some of that is my own doing and some feels like luck and coincidence. One key, I’ve found, is to recognize opportunities and take advantage of them. Sometimes there is a gut feeling that needs to be followed. We face so many decisions every day. Some are easy, but some can stop us in our tracks for a while.

A huge part of what Webb talked about was how much time we spend thinking about the past or the future rather than the present. He talked about meditation and how much it helps him. He talked about making a lot of money at a young age and then still not being happy and spiraling for a while.

A book he mentioned was The Magic of Believing by Claude Bristol, first published in 1948. He put it up on the screen along with pictures of a whole bunch of celebrities who were into it (Carol Burnett, Phyllis Diller, Joan Rivers)... When I looked the book up after the talk, it was only 38 cents for the Kindle version (maybe I had digital rewards?), so I downloaded it. I DIDN’T buy the DVDs and stuff that Brent Webb was selling.

There are so many versions of books like this, I think. My thought on them is that they are filled with things that we already know and/or are common sense, but that we need to be reminded of once in a while. And, hey, maybe this was the book I could use right now.

From there I went to lunch and discovered that they had my favorite dessert (orange chocolate mousse) again. What?! I’d only found it on the first day in the past. This was a very important discovery. I wondered how many lunch menus there were and whether I might see it a third time?!

I took it easy the rest of the day - writing, reading, ocean-gazing - and then headed to the third Beatles show at the Cavern. My plan was to get the same seat I’d had at the first show. The high top in the back, center. When I got there, there was a man in that seat, but the other seat at the table was empty and he confirmed that it was free. I sat down.

We started chatting. His name was Paul. This was his first cruise and he was having some difficulty with seasickness. He had just finished walking the Camino (for the second time) and he was somewhat surprised that I knew what that was. He was from Chicago, but was a bit of a nomad. He had a camper and was a traveling x-ray technician. I told him that I have two friends who host traveling nurses. At some point he mentioned that he had been getting up every day to watch the sunrise. I remembered the sunrise I’d woken up to this morning. Then I asked him if he had seen the rainbow the day before.

“Yes!” he replied. “I was taking pictures and there was this lady and I was like I swear I’m not taking photos of you!”

I laughed and said “That was me!”

He seemed confused. Neither of us had recognized each other when I sat down.

I warned him that I’d be noting the set list on my phone as the show went on. He suggested I just take a photo of the set list taped on the stage. Ha! Good idea. I did that and brought us back some water from the bar. “I don’t have the drink package,” I told him, “so I can’t offer you anything else.”

He told me he was going to Cagney’s for dinner and then to Choir of Man. I told him I was also seeing Choir of Man and we agreed to sit together if we found each other there.

Set list:

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

With a Little Help from My Friends

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Hello, Goodbye

Taxman

When I’m Sixty-Four (NOTE: This was my number one favorite song for a while when I was a kid and I’d play it on repeat.)

I Am the Walrus

Yellow Submarine

Magical Mystery Tour

A Day in the Life

Got to Get You into My Life

The show was a lot of fun, as the others had been. Ringo was still my favorite. Paul headed to Cagney’s and I went to the buffet for a banana nutella crepe.

I headed to Choir of Man about half an hour before it started and got a great seat. I read some of The Magic of Believing while I waited. After about fifteen minutes, I looked up from my phone and saw Paul walking towards me. “You found me!” I said.

He told me his dinner at Cagney’s was great and I asked what he’d had. He’d had the same main course and the same two sides that I’d had there - ribeye steak with sauteed mushrooms and garlic mashed potatoes. (His appetizer and dessert were different, though.)

We continued chatting until the pre-show started (where people go up to the stage to get beer and interact with the cast). I decided to opt out of the beer this time.

The show was even better this time around - it felt like there was more energy in the theater. So fun. Paul said he understood why I’d seen it twice. I told him I was calling it a night (It was late for me - nearly 11pm!) and we parted ways.

Fun start to the sea days!