Stormy Weather

So in my last piece, “Don’t Just Do Something; Stand There,” I spoke about turning off and tuning in-- How our love of gadgets and the need to stay connected can in fact do just the opposite and keep us very disconnected.

And since God has such a sense of humor, it was no coincidence I was boarding a two-week cruise as my piece went viral, where I’d have no choice but to shut down my typical all-access life.

But just as He has a sense of humor, He also has compassion, for no sooner had all of my technological crutches and pacifiers been stripped away, were they replaced with something far more precious…

This was my first cruise ever, and I was prepared for my job as the DJ by having my equipment on point, all of my records and files in order, my backline requests in place and five different forms of motion sickness meds.

What I wasn’t prepared for was that I was going to have no cell reception and limited Internet access.  As I made my way around the ship on day one, I saw people scrambling to make last minute calls and e-mails. Then my  “ah ha” moment occurred, and I started scrambling too.

One of the e-mails that came through was my debut post on the Bed-Stuy Patch, and as I read it, I started to laugh at the irony. Isn’t it grand when your own words come back to bite you in the arse?

Now… I did get my last calls in and sent a few texts, but I felt a bit uneasy as we started to sail and I saw my little reception bars diminish right before my eyes. I quickly grew a bit anxious but I was about to set sail, so I had to suck it up. 

As if I were in a dream sequence, a man approached me with an amazing smile and said, “Hello Kim!” This man was my uncle Kelly who is married to my Aunt Eve. As you can imagine I was shocked and was waiting for Ahston Kutcher to come out of the crew kitchen and tell me I was being punked. But that theory went out the door as soon as I remembered you needed to be famous for that to happen.

As we hugged my aunt came over and explained that she saw me on the lineup and decided to surprise me. Her husband had no idea either, which made it all the more special. Once I composed myself, I called my mom with the one little bar I had left and let her in on my great surprise.

I remembered her saying she’d prayed I would have good people around me and not be alone on my trip. And clearly, her prayers did not fall on deaf ears as my amazing aunt and uncle came to hang with me in love and support.

Ultimately, we all get what we need and most of what we want when we are willing to go outside of our comfort zone and be grateful for what’s on our plate. This trip has truly bonded us and reminded us that if you have your health and your family, everything will fall in perfect order.

By the time you read this, I will have been on land for a few hours. But while out at sea, on this amazing planet full of possibilities, I was reminded of the simple things in my life that make it what it is: unpredictable, layered and full of lessons. We all need each other to get by, and if there is laughter along the way, you’ve hit the jackpot.

Watching my aunt and uncle, who are 70 and 61 party harder than me, laugh deeper than I do, love with no boundaries and live in the moment reminded me, life only gets better when we allow ourselves to let go and experience what it truly feels like to “unplug.”

As we left Belize, the water was extremely choppy and it made me a bit anxious. But they were there to hold my hand and help me laugh through it, by helping me find the calm in the storm. We are never ever alone, we all have our angels out there rooting for us. And even in stormy weather, there is always a safe place lying in wait with our names on it.  

As for mothers who pray like my own, they cover the bases we take for granted. Their prayers and whispers to God don’t require a flash drive nor a free download.

Now, if I could just get her to pray that the amazing cowboy boots I bought in Cozumel a half-size too small (they were too amazing to leave behind) eventually will break in… I’ll be good to go!