more Ship of Arsim (louts, toughs) than Love Boat. One of my kids’ friends, a tough himself who sailed this line before we did, said there were so many arsim on his cruise that when he boarded the boat, he had culture shock. But then I looked into the mirror, overcame my snobbery, and realized that – hey – I am my compatriots."} 69:{"position":12,"content":"“Abba said we paid, so we should eat a lot,” a boy no older than seven proclaimed at the next table over in one of the ship’s dining halls, his plate heaped to the brim. And with those few words that little boy uncannily articulated precisely the sentiment spinning around the minds of most of the other ship-goers, mine included. So who was I to look down at my compatriot co-passengers? Eat I could, but relax? Well, that was a different story."} 6a:{"position":13,"content":"It was like getting an airplane upgrade to first class, knowing you’ll probably never get that again, and then being so concerned that you aren’t enjoying all the benefits to which you are entitled that you can’t take full pleasure in any of it. That happened to me once."} 6b:{"position":14,"content":"I got bumped to first class, and rather than sleep – which I needed to do – I stayed up to get more free drinks, watch more movies, eat more peanuts, stretch my legs farther out, all the time fretting that if I slept, I might miss something and just waste the whole experience."} 6d:T404,

Out there: The Unrelaxed

I envy my kids’ ability to relax. To just sit and do nothing – and not feel guilty about it.