COVID-19 Cruise Restrictions are Easing -- Conditionally and Not Quite Yet

    October 1 the US ban on cruise ships expires...Well, not really. The Cruise industry is being incredibly responsible, implementing a slow, phased approach. "Most cruise companies — including Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Disney among others — have canceled all cruises leaving from US ports until at least December, according to the Miami Herald newspaper."

    "The first phase of this effort focuses not on passengers but crew members, who would be allowed to disembark from ships in territorial waters of the United States.

    "The phased return begins while cruise ship operators build lab capacity to test crew members and future passengers. Companies must show they adhere to testing, social distancing, quarantining and isolating requirements when necessary.

    "Later phases involve "mock voyages," with volunteers playing the role of passengers to test virus mitigation strategies on trips. Once ships have met certain requirements, they will be certified to begin operations with real passengers."

    - CNN.com, linked below

    I wonder how one gets to be a volunteer test passenger?

Issues About My Future and Who is the Boss of Me!

I'm fairly certain my sisters don't want me getting a new RV and hitting the road again. I'm pretty sure they want me to settle down and save money.

What are the concerns about my becoming a nomad again? Not "their" concerns, but "the" concerns?

Paying back people I owe money to. 
    I will not buy an RV/van until everyone is paid back. Duh.

Can I work? Disability? Need to figure that out.
    In the not-too-distant future I think I'll be able to work (see below).
    I can collect Disability if I cannot work; I just need a permanent address and checking account.
    Justifying Disability if I'm traveling: traveling is a completely different skill set. Holding a job involves a regimen my concentration may not allow, routine and tasks my memory may not allow, and stamina I may not have.
    Obviously I prefer to work!

Making money and saving money for retirement. I have to cover this base, obviously. 
    Working in National Parks.
    Writing and selling books.
    Monetizing blogs.
    Selling other items through amazon fulfillment services.
    
Keeping up with taxes, health insurance, etc.
    Make this a daily priority and put it in my "diary" to-do list.
    Make my bank accounts viewable by my sisters so they see this is being done.

Savings for van repair, emergencies.
    I have to have some savings to hit the road.
    I have to have income to hit the road.
    I have to have a savings column in the budget.
    Allay their fears by making bank accounts viewable by my sisters.

Safety.
    Cell phone.
    GPS for siblings to always know where I am.
    Pepper spray.
    Call/email/post online for sisters every night.
    AAA
    Car maintenance.

The bottom line is:
    I have tried to "get over" this wanderlust. It's not a phase, it's who I am.
    Some day I may be physically unable to travel and live in a small RV, but that day is not yet.
    I am an adult and I don't have a brain tumor or mental functioning issues anymore.
    If I can support myself financially (including through Disability), it's no one else's business how I do that.
    I get to determine the course of my life. Period.

Update, and Resuming the Journey

I haven't kept up this blog, as right after brain surgery I was out of it, and since then I've been working on recovery.

I went into hospital just as COVID-19 was starting to cancel all elective surgery. Luckily, I made it through under the wire (and was in bad enough shape they probably would have taken me anyway).

I'm doing fantastic! Now 7 months out, I'm not quite ready for a job, yet. But the world has changed so much there aren't many job options right now anyway. And I don't know what job prospects there will be when I'm ready to go back to work. I try not to focus on that, but it's a challenge. 

I'm getting better and stronger every day. I have cognitive problems and absolutely no short term memory, but I'm in therapy for that, as well as psychotherapy to develop techniques to deal with the psychological problems exacerbated by the lingering issues. Progress seems excruciatingly slow, but the doctors and therapists insist I'm doing really well. What do they know? 😉

I have published an ebook, Coping with Depression: A Tip-a-Day for 2021, and also have my prior ebook, Travels with Mom, The A-B-C's of Traveling with a Senior Companion.

I'm going to keep up with this blog, and to follow discussion about Coping with Depression, check out THIS BLOG.

Surgery Day

I just want to say I'll see you all on the other side... Thank you!

Stumbling

When you stumble repeatedly on your afternoon walk, and one time a stranger asks "Are you OK?" and you want to say "No, I  have a big honking tumor in the middle of my brain" but you say "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks."

On the plus side, it is a glorious day out there!

Support System - I Am Truly Blessed

For so long - literally several years - I forgot I don't have to go it alone. My cognition deteriorated and I just couldn't figure it out, or sometimes even recognize it. I wandered and wondered and, frankly, did enjoy life to a great extent. But I kept getting worse.

Falling behind.

Thank goodness my family stepped in. I'm watched, loved, cared for, and coped for. I'm getting the help I need. There was something wrong, darn it! I don't know how I missed that.

I am so grateful for my family, and for my sister, Trish, especially, for taking the reins when I had to drop them. I just couldn't hold on any longer. 

I am truly blessed.

Eyes

Wow, my eyesight has really diminished! Darn brain tumor.

After recovery from surgery I think this will be my priority, or one of them. Comprehensive eye tests and new prescriptions. I would love to see clearly again, and I will!