[aerie]

Yes, the American mindset is any time away from work is a "vacation." I get tired of correcting people who ask me, "how was your vacation" when I return to work after being on the boat for some weeks. I try to explain that I haven't been "on vacation," living on a boat is my lifestyle. I even ended a relationship once because he saw the time on the boat as a "vacation" and not as a lifestyle choice. It came down to the underlying value of being of service and contributing to society. I suppose most people think living on a boat and cruising is escaping or withdrawing. And then there are cruisers who really can make a diffence in the lives of people they meet along the way. People need to broaden their perspective and accept that we are all individuals and therefore have the right to make individual choices about how we want to live our lives. I'm going sailing....