We are slowly realizing that all of these Mexican Pacific ports are resorts featuring beaches, fishing and shopping. So, I cancelled my tours for today and tomorrow with plans to rehydrate instead. Bob headed out on a catamaran for a morning of snorkeling. This photo shows his catamaran passing by the ship. Hopefully they won’t ask his age….. Despite whatever excitement he might find on his tour, he has pronounced this trip to be somewhat boring.

Our dinner companion last night engaged us with fascinating stories of his career and shared his current aging struggles. He is just ending a tour of over 200 days on Insignia, and has already signed up for a repeat in 2024. He found family among the Insignia staff during that tour, but most have 6 month contracts and disembarked in San Francisco. New passengers, new staff and he is suddenly very lonely. He plans to end his life after the next cruise when he will be 86 and has shared his plans with his only child.

During our wide-ranging conversation, we shared the reasons that we live in a CCRC, where we age together with support for one another and pre-paid nursing care. We were very careful to avoid negating his plan. We did however roll our eyes at his current choice of community, the Villages in Florida. He argued that he lives in a small supportive community within that ginormous place and that he is happy there.

As we left, the staff anxiously asked about placing him at our table. They carefully select his dinner companions. He often eats alone. We left grateful to have met him, honored to have been selected for him by staff and very grateful to be living in a place where planned death is accepted but not the only answer.