“I’m not a millionaire … I just live full-time on cruise ships.”
Giving it all up and retiring to live on a cruise ship at 32 seems like a lifestyle choice only available to the ultra-wealthy. However, two financially savvy retired school teachers from Tennessee have managed to do just that, spending under $10,000 for the first eight months at sea.
Monica Brzoska, 32, and Jorrell Conley, 36, met in 2015 while teaching in Memphis, Tennessee. The following year, they booked a week-long cruise to Mexico, Belize, and Grand Cayman. After that, they were hooked on cruising together.
Eight years later, in March 2023, they booked a week-long Caribbean cruise. When it was over, instead of returning home to Memphis, they had a wild idea: Why not continue to book consecutive cruises? So, they did just that.
A gem of wisdom made even better with a delightfully charming accent.
We know how important it is to stay in the present moment. And we know that having grounding tools, such as simple breathing exercises, are crucial to keep us in the present moment during times of stress. But sometimes, when the intrusive thoughts become too loud, we forget how healing the present moment can be, or how to access it.
And that’s when a kind word from a loved one can make all the difference.
It certainly did for 29-year-old Christina Symes, an artist living with her 95-year-old grandmother, aka “gran,” in London. Gran’s advice was so powerful that Symes shared it in a TikTok, which has since gone viral at 3 million views.
As the old saying goes, whatever doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger and in many ways, that holds true when life teaches harsh lessons. It can be painful to learn things are more complicated than we thought and that people will disappoint us. But when we accept the ugly truths of life, we appreciate the beautiful things even more.
Taking these realizations to heart can also prevent us from having to learn them a second time. The sad thing is that many of the most challenging life lessons have to be learned through experience. Someone can tell you who to avoid or that life comes at you fast, but most of us have to learn these things first-hand.
