I sometimes get interested in the question of why people are interested in what interests them (say that three times fast). Earlier in the week, there were several news items that got people’s attention in my office. Some people focused on the lousy start that the Yankees were off to. Others were interested in the Papal Conclave in Rome. And then there were the ladies in the secretarial pool. They were meeting in little groups and gravely discussing the report of a huge wave that almost took down a cruise ship in the Caribbean. Hmmm, I started wondering why that concerned them so much. Here’s what I came up with after some pondering: cruises are basically designed for and marketed to married middle-age women in pink-collar jobs; i.e., women whose marriages are way past the stage of romantic idealism, and who generally don’t have demanding professional careers to divert their attention.

The responsibilities of holding a job and raising kids and owning a house (and maybe also taking care of aging parents) will surely trample the sweet visions of happiness that were present at the start of most marriages. This applies to both men and women; but for whatever reason, pink-collar women seem to miss the youthful notions of romantic destiny to a greater extent. A two-week cruise is a temporary cure for that, a synthetic bubble where the romantic illusions can be rekindled for a week or two. The pressing responsibilities of life are put on hold. In every direction, things are made to seem new and entertaining. There are warm sea breezes, starry skies at night, fresh flowers in every corner, fine food, entertainment, nice people, and port cities to discover (and shop in). You get the feeling that it’s safe to be in love again with your grumpy old husband (or your frumpy old wife). They don’t call it the love boat for nothing.

So, with that in mind, it starts to make sense why our female clerical staff was so upset by the storm report. How could mother nature be so callused as to threaten a cruise ship, a vessel full of middle-aged couples (much like them and their hubbies) trying to re-kindle the notions of togetherness? How could a killer wave hit the love boat? What has gone wrong with the universe?

I’m having some fun at the expense of my female office-mates here . . . but only up to a point. I’m also a bit of a romantic and an idealist, although in a slightly different sense. I’d also like to believe in “love”, although perhaps in a less sensually-oriented fashion than what passes on cruise ships. I’ve had a lot of huge waves hit my own idealism over the years, so I can sympathize when someone else’s dreams get battered. Yea, ladies . . . . . it’s a tough, stormy world, ain’t it.