Most everyone knows by this point of my tumultuous relationship with Glacier Bay, Alaska. The reasons why I have so much difficulty are myriad and some would find them nonsensical so I won’t go into them here. What I will say though, is that it’s puzzling that while Glacier bay makes me crawl into my cabin and hide for several hours – sipping tazo zen tea to steady my nerves – I seem to have the completely opposite relationship with the Hubbard Glacier.
I do not understand this at all, perhaps it’s just circumstance. I’m a very different person now than I was last year when I first encountered the mammoth wall of ice that is a glacier. Whatever is it hough, I love Hubbard Glacier. Even on days when its overcast, or perhaps especially when it’s overcast. And not just because the glacier looks even bluer when it’s cloudy. No it’s better on cloudy days because it’s quieter on the bow when it’s cloudy
Passengers you see, are notoriously scared off by the watehr – show them a drop of rain and a bit of fog and they’ll scurry for the indoor viewing points like rabbits, leaving only the hardiest souls to stand out on the bow.
It’s worth it to be hardy.
Days like this I don’t even bother with a coat when I dash out to the bow during my afternoon shift. I grew up across the street from the ocean, and my office on board is always stiflingly hot on glacier days anyway – so I welcome the chill in the air. I know I should be cold, and the people looking at me – bareheaded and barearmed in the Alaskan chill – obviously think I’m insane but I’m not cold. The breeze coming off the water has just enough salt, and somehow taps directly into my bloodstream, cleansing out all the negative energy that’s accumulated over the past week and blasting out all the cobwebs from my mind. One step outside, one deep breath, and I start to feel better.
And maybe I can’t afford to buy myself the glass of mulled wine that I always want (yes I’ve discovered I can drink wine, if it’s mulled) because the belt is a little tighter than usual this month – but I can smell it, and on days like this, that’s enough.
It’s been a rough go of it emotionally lately, and I apologize to those of you who have noticed that I’ve been a bit down, when I’ve been talking at all. It’s not been on purpose – but know this: as it always does, the universe handed me just what I needed to feel better.
Wishing you fair winds, fresh air and following seas,
Bright blessings
Shaughnessy