At sea my meals were prepared for me; my laundry was done for me, all I needed to do was fold it and put it into my locker. There was always someone in the crew spaces who made extra money by cutting hair, I always had him shave my head. It was hot off the coast of Vietnam or in the Philippines and we were nearly always at one of those two places. I had little need for money other than a few dollars at a time, the rest of my pay was held onto by the disbursing department. By the time the cruise was over I had a big chunk of money saved for the few months I would be back in San Diego with Joyce and Annie. That way we had plenty of cash to go to places and have lots of fun.
I remember the day
The commute to work and meals
A little liberty, a cold beer to drink
But on the sea and far from home
10 years and 8 months in the navy was enough for me. Joyce was tired of being a single mom and I had enough of being at sea. It was time to explore new horizons. I worked at Burroughs corporation for 10 years in product engineering and later in the computer repair spaces. I met my good friend Kevin at Burroughs over 40 years ago and we are still friends today. My next adventure was locate and buy myself a farm. We lived and worked the farm along with having full time jobs in town. We worked the farm for 27 years. It didn't seem that long, but it was. We somehow got to be too old and could no longer keep the farm going, so we moved to town and had a great time until Joyce passed away. Now I live alone in the apartment where Joyce died of a brain hemmorage. I suppose I'll be here until I die alone. No matter how or where we die, we all die alone.
When I was a sailor, far away
All my possessions fit in my sea bag
Leaving little to boast about or brag
Required little time and no wheels
I’d climb up a a few ladders and over a deck or two
And soon my daily commute was through
Nary a lot about which to think
Then back again, out at sea
Salty air, fresh as air can be
This sailor found himself all alone
Those memories from a log ago and younger day
Make me happy I am home from the sea to stay.
As long as I have my mind, I am never alone. I am able to talk with God and able to dream with imagination.
ReplyDeleteSharon, I have the same thoughts that you have expressed above. I say I live alone in the physical sense, but in my spiritual life, I thank the Lord every morning for a new day. I pray every evening somewhat for myself, but mostly for those people I know and those who have passed away. In case you are wondering, you are included in my prayers every evening along with those I have worked with, lived with, loved and those I despise.
DeleteBill