Wide Open Spaces

I feel bad sometimes that I can't express myself as well as the Dixie Chicks, but since they do such a good job, I might as well be resourceful. On the Sherut ride (a van type taxi for which we overpaid) to Tel Aviv, "Wide Open Spaces" came on Adina's iPod and I was fortunate enough to have one of her headphones in my ear and we shared a beautiful moment as we sang along to these words:

Many precede and many will follow
A young girl's dream no longer hollow
It takes the shape of a place out west
But what it holds for her, she hasn't yet guessed

She needs wide open spaces
Room to make her big mistakes
She needs new faces
She knows the high stakes

This turned out to be a great theme song for Shabbat, especially if you see Tel Aviv as a place out west, in relation to Jerusalem. And we made a few mistakes, like overpaying for transportation and lodging and getting sunburnt like lil lobsters. Our new faces were the most beautiful faces I've ever seen-the seven girls that came and the five boys who joined us at the beach. We had pretty much all just met on September first, so they count as new faces, even though I feel as though we have been friends since infancy. The high stakes mainly came in the form of all the potential dangers we faced in Tel Aviv and hostel life. Nothing happened though!

And of course, last but not least, the wide open spaces. The haunting, dramatic coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, the coastal rocks a quarter of a mile off shore, the waves chasing one another, the sun setting over the water. What more could we have dreamed of? We spent all of Friday afternoon on the beach, swimming and frolicking and taking pre-shabs pics. Then we grabbed a bite of pizza (which, like grilled cheese, tastes even more amazing after a withdrawal) and then we returned to the beach for Kabalat Shabbat. The seven of us girls sat in a circle in the sand and sang songs after the service and looked out at everything and held onto each other. It was miraculous.

After our evening on the beach, Razie and I decided to head back to the hostel while the other girls met up with the boys to hang out. We were both dreaming of sleep and trying to keep Shabbat, so the arrangement worked well. We also bravely put aside our FOMO, a phenomenon sweeping Nativ. FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) seizes everyone once in a while, when it is time to go to bed but everyone else thinks it's time to party, or when it is time to stay with a friend in need but everyone else thinks it's time to have a grand adventure. It always feels like the right decision after putting aside our FOMO, it is just such a difficult decision to make at the time! Razie and I were so pleased with our quality night's sleep, though, and I am grateful she was there to risk missing out with me.

We woke up at a lazy hour on Saturday and headed to the beach after breakfast at the hostel and sunscreening up. I immediately headed out to the rocks with Jesse and we had quite the experience with our crab friends and the rocks. Just as we swam back to shore, all of our friends decided to go out to the rocks, and of course we joined them, and we sun bathed there and bonded with everyone. The rocks felt so nice to sleep on and then the sun abuse really began. I didn't realize it until later, but it was a disaster!

We ate lunch at the kitchen in the hostel-the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches known to man. We returned and I napped in the shade of a lattice beach structure for hours, read a bit of Jane Eyre, played with my friends, took a few dips, and then it was time for the sunset. Razie had been dreaming of watching the sunset from some rocks at the edge of the beach, and we were all set to go when the sun suddenly started to sink at a rapid pace. No one thought they would make it, so the entire group stayed back on the sand while she and I ran full speed along the length of the beach. It was the most exhilarating feeling to finally reach the rocks just as the blood red sun was slipping below the horizon! We really earned our sunset.

The super fun of the trip was when all the girls joined the Huri Kushna dance circle! They were just jumping around and playing music and we were totally down to celebrate with them and it was a beautiful Israel moment.

We eventually got our acts together and got on a bus at the central bus station and took it home to Jerusalem (but not after getting another piece of pizza for the ride!). Returning home was the best feeling-I felt so fulfilled and peaceful and content. To see the golden clusters of lights coming from Jerusalem and knowing that is home...my goodness! We are just the luckiest.

Now I am preparing for Yom Kippur and our meal is starting shortly! May you be sealed in the book of life!