The part of the ship that I was highly looking forward to was The Library. Silly me! I thought it was an actual library! But until that reality had wrapped itself tightly around my head a few times, I was determined. I actually visited it three times before realizing that I was not in the wrong place after all.

                  I had seen pictures from someone else’s cruise. Same cruise line, different ships, I guess. Those pictures promised a glorious, gilded library! Book stacks from floor to ceiling. Chandeliered lighting. Lovely desks and chairs. But that was not the case on this ship. Oh, those features existed, and just as described (save the book stacks and desks—bistro tables and chairs, singers, piano, and other instruments filled those spaces). But not in The Library. That’s the name of it, by the way: The Library. I had fantasized myself tapping away on my laptop at one of those wonderful tables.

                  Reality was an enclosed alcove with a few shelves behind lighted glass doors. There was, indeed, a lovely wood table with chairs, but sitting around that table were members of a family playing a board game. I must be in the wrong place. So I left, found someone with a badge and asked him (or her, I can’t remember—probably both, as I asked more than one person) where The Library was, and I kept getting pointed to that tiny room with one table, six chairs, and a few items sparsely scattered on lighted shelves. If there were actual books on those shelves, I have yet to know. What I could see clearly were board games, playing cards, and activity sets for children. Adults could enjoy most of the games present as well, but this was definitely not my envisioned work environment. That was the first layer of serious disappointment.

                  Next, I realized that all my fantasies of working on my laptop were in vain anyway! People here are genuinely amazed that there are those of us who actually enjoy writing, so I shouldn’t be surprised. But I had not considered that our WiFi access for two devices would de facto be applied to each of our mobile phones. Ugh! (Yes, there is a way to switch back and forth, but I am not technologically savvy enough to endure that stress.)

                  If you are not a writer, you might not realize the cardinal rule of the craft: It’s 90% think and 10% ink. That means research, even if it is only looking up a scripture reference or checking out word choices via a thesaurus. That also means you need to be connected via the Internet. If there are such books in The Library on this ship, I have yet to find them. The bottom line is that I needed to purchase an extra connection for the laptop.

                  Hurrah for Guest Services! This is one of the most popular service desks on the ship. It is unusual for lines to be short and even rarer for them to be non-existent. But I was able to connect with one of the service personnel who could program my laptop to receive the ship’s Intranet. Oh, I could have connected without it, but Ocean Net is $5.00 per minute! No, thank you! All of a sudden, $175 for less than a week’s service sounded like a deal of a lifetime!

                  Still, this wasn’t the ultimate cause of the meltdown. I am actually made of stronger stuff than that. But, medically speaking, my brain has its limits. I am a survivor of a TBI (traumatic brain injury). TBIs cause all kinds of funky things to go wrong in the brain’s wiring, and my most recent one was not even my first, but it was the most traumatic. I share this to help readers understand the seriousness of the fact that I do not do “rush.” When I am rushed, my brain halts all processing of rational decision-making. And preparing for the following day’s excursion was filled with “rush.”

                  Over the years, I have learned some very valuable workarounds. But when I don’t have access to those workarounds, I simply cannot function well, especially not quickly. The evening and morning of our first highly anticipated excursion had removed every single workaround I had in my personal inventory. I did not know how much layering I should wear for either the helicopter ride or the visit to Mendenhall Glacier. These experiences were a first for me, and although I was excited to take a helicopter ride, I wasn’t entirely keen on walking around on a glacier. Quite frankly, I hate the cold. And, too late, I realized that I did not have my security cord with me for my glasses. So, no previous experience with the environment or the experience, along with the absence of specific details that would give me a clear visual of the events, plus my own oversight in preparation, along with a disturbed sleeping pattern that wasn’t understood by “the system,” resulted in a kind of panic attack, otherwise known as a meltdown.

                But when everything eventually came together in spite of myself (why has this term suddenly become poor grammar?) I thoroughly enjoyed this excursion. I had to pray my way through, but our Lord and Savior took me under His wings, and guided me through all my trials: the stairs I was incapable of walking down (worn out knees from my youth) were met with a fun little ride down a wheelchair ramp, sans wheelchair; the guidance of the good folks at TEMSCO Helicopter Tours just flat out put my boots on for me (those boots really are a unique kind of footwear); they also decided that I needed to be seated next to the pilot (as his “co-pilot”); and with the exceptional presentation of the guide on the Mendenhall Glacier, each of us had a marvelous experience!

                  I was so revived that I accepted the challenge of having my face slimed with “glacier silt.” Turns out the young man was right about it being used in skincare products! (Browser lookup: glacier silt in skincare).

                  And no, I did not need to worry about not layering enough. Or having to deal with the forecasted rain. God took care of it all. We were each exhausted after the excursion, but we were also each extremely glad we went! It was, indeed, an experience of a lifetime.

                  But the next day was another story. You can view that on It Was a Trip of a Lifetime! But I Didn’t Even Want to Go – Part 4.