AT SEA ON THE CELEBRITY MILLENNIUM — There are always challenges in life for somebody who grew up afraid of…well, everything, but especially heights and water. For most of the world it may seem ridiculous, but trust me, it’s a problem.
A few years ago, taking my three-year-old grandson in the swimming pool was one such situation. Even at three, he knew he DARE not venture past the number “four” in the pool, as in four feet deep, because doing so meant “That’s it, we’re outta here!”
Cruise ships have, in some ways, helped to alleviate those fears. The same person who was so afraid of heights and water was seen comfortably 
snapping pictures going through the Panama Canal, riding an aerial tram 1,000 feet up and 1,000 feet down in Costa Rica, and easily leaning over the railing on her 8th-floor balcony on the Celebrity Millennium. Watching the dolphins frolic in the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean and the sea turtles floating by lazily was fairly comfortable from Deck 11, and I was only a little queasy riding glass elevators that seem to hang over the waves.
That relief from fear probably began about a decade ago, river cruising through the Midi Canal in France. When there are only two of you, and one has to drive the boat, well, do the math. I was the “crew” handling the ropes through 64 locks…yes, jumping on and off the boat, fishing the rope out of the water, and tying them to the bollards.
“They” say that to conquer a fear you have to confront it, and I’m giving it my best shot. The height thing didn’t exist on the Midi Canal trip…but you know what “they” say about small steps. I’ve realized that confronting that fear from the luxury of the Millennium’s Deck Eight balcony is a giant leap, if you’ll excuse the pun.
That’s it…I’m done.