Most relaxing day ever....
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I just had the most relaxing 24 hours ever!!!
At the beginning of the week, we were offered the chance to sing up and go to Kibbutz Gezer and learn about their park, and then have services at the Reform Congregation in Tel Aviv, Beit Daniel. I signed up with my friend Lisa, and then later in the week, Amy asked if we wanted to stay in Tel Aviv for the rest of the weekend and hang out and go to the beach. Ordinarly, I would have said no. For one, I don't know how to relax when I don't have a break from school built in for me. Second, I never want to commit to something if I'm afraid I won't get my work done, or if I feel like i have too much else to do. But something about this week made me say yes. I knew I needed to get out of Jerusalem and just relax.
So off we went. The kibbutz was fascinating, because we went to the park part of it, where we learned a lot about ways to teach text through texture. The park has tons of things from the bible that basically come alive to you and that you start to visualize in new contexts. It was beautiful and uplifting and relaxing and just plain inspiring. Then we went to services at Beit Daniel. I was there about three years ago on my birthright trip and it was lovely. The services seemed very "American Reform" to me (isn't it interesting that i have a category for that now???), but nice nonetheless. We had dinner there afterwards and that was nice too.
Then, those of us staying on in Tel Aviv for the weekend checked into our youth hostel and relaxed for a bit. Amy stayed with Noam Katz and his fiancee Jamie, I roomed with Lisa and Lydia Bloom, and Katie Bauman and her boyfriend Adam had their own room. We went out for a drink, and had a great time. I got a Cosmopolitan and because I hadn't had sooo much to eat that day, I got a bit tipsy off of it. And I broke the glass....OOOPPPPSSS!!!!
But it was just really nice to be out with some new people, with nothing that I felt I had to get up for in the morning, and to just relax. I spent lots of time this weekend hanging out with Noam. I've always known that I liked him and that we get along well, but I haven't had so much opportunity to spend with him. He's the greatest.....
After sleeping in for several hours, we all got a very late start (which was soooo nice!!!) and we went to have brunch at this Israeli chocolatier called "Max Brenners". Now, even though I ordered off of the light menu...what a calorie fest!!! It was all incredible food. Soooo yummy.
By early afternoon we were off to the beach. We layed out on the sand, soaked up the rays and the sound of the Sea (that's the Mediterranean...) and just had a great time. The water was too cold to go all the way in, but we soaked our feet a few times and walked along the shore. Mostly though, we jsut hung out on our towels. We got some juice and some beer and a few snacks eventually, helped Noam think up some songs for this project he's doing, tried doing headstands like this one girl we saw, people watched...and just RELAXED!!!! It was fabulous!!! I intentionally took my watch off so that I would just go with the flow, let others take charge, and be free of all responsibilities for a day. It was so liberating!!!
After that we went to this great Noodle Bar/Asian restaurant called Giraffe. It was super trendy and very delicious. At dinner, I began to realize what a great day I had just had. I felt tired, but a good tired, from being out in the air for a while, from clearing my head, from laughing and being in good company with great friends. It was the best feeling in the world. I can't remember the last time I had such a perfect day. I just felt whole again, refreshed and revitalized for the coming mini-week ahead. After that we headed back to Jerusalem and I slept a bit on the ride back, and thought about ways to make my life more relaxing. This was a much needed mini-break...and I find that I haven't done that enough for myself this year. I mean, I have 6 weeks left here and this is one of the first times that I've just taken off with my friends to hang out outside of Jerusalem. Also, I love Tel Aviv...it's like a REAL city...and Jerusalem (although I love it in so many ways) is just not. And although it's a shame that I'm just learning this now...it's good to know that I learned a huge lesson today. Take time for me! When I need to relax, really relax...don't just avoid the relaxation because it means putting everything else on hold...really take time to feel whole again, and to take a break from life.

Today was beautiful. I loved hanging out with all of my friends, being at the beach and taking in all that fresh air and wathcing the waves, eating good food, and just taking time for me. It was one of my best days ever......and it was great!