In the Indian Ocean

As we slept last night, we sailed past Sri Lanka and are now nearing the southern tip of India. It was overcast for much of yesterday but cleared in late afternoon for a gorgeous sunset. Being in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight is disorienting, at least to this landlubber. With nothing but water to see until you cannot see any more, the edge of the world really does take shape. I can understand why people thought there was an edge to the world that you could fall off, because it certainly looks that way.

Last night we darkened the balcony off our room and were able to see the most magnificent sky - more stars than I can recall seeing in a very long time. It really is a shame how much of the sky we lose when the lights are turned on. I think kids growing up today in cities must be startled if they ever get to see the thousands of pinpricks of light in the night sky. As a bonus, far-away flashes of lighting lit up the sky around us as we were turning in.

Spending three days crossing the Indian Ocean has definitely shifted us into full-on relaxation mode. With little to do, we have even discovered the art of conversation. That, of course, is not always such a good thing.

For example, last night I suggested to LK that in those instances when we did not agree on what we wanted to do, we tended to mostly do whatever she wanted.

OK. I admit, it was more of a discussion than a conversation.

Nonetheless, she disagreed vigorously and said she almost always defers to me. This surprised me since I could not recall that happening since I was thin and had a full head of hair. And come to think of it, I don't think I had met her at that time.

"Oh, it's just that you do it in your own way," she said.

And what way is that, you might ask as I did.

"You get cranky if you don't want to do something."

This discussion/conversation/etc was pretty obviously evolving into one of those men-are-from-mars-women-are-from-venus discussions. You know, the kind no guy can possibly win. Like when we worked and I didn't want to talk about work once we got home and she did. So we did.

"So you're saying that I do things I don't want to do, and yet I am getting my way because I'm cranky? I would have thought - cranky or not - if we're doing things that I don't want to do but you do want to do, then you are getting your way."

My darling looked at me with complete exasperation on her face. It was a look that more or less said, "I love you so I am going to pretend that you're really that dumb!"

"Think about it," she said to drive her point home. "We have not driven to the mall in more than three years."

"And that proves?"

"That proves you're having your way, because you hate going to the mall."

"But we have gone every time you've wanted to go," I said. "You must have not mentioned going to the mall in the past three years if we haven't gone."

She sat up straight, a look of gotcha on her face. "And that's because every time we went, you were cranky. So you're getting your way."

I could write about the rest of the discussion/conversation, but you get the drift. For my part, I have come away with two clear ideas:

1) I believe anyone reading this will decide that either LK or I am being logical and sensible. I suspect that choice will have a lot to do with the presence or absence of a Y-chromosome.

2) I am certain that having 10 more days at sea on this cruise is going to be one of the more interesting periods of our marriage.