The scheduled portion of our birthright trip has concluded, and we've begun our extra weekend in Tel Aviv free to spend our time as we choose. After a jam-packed whirlwind of awesome activities stacked one after the other, it's nice to be able to spend a leisurely day without a deadline for every step.
One of our guides, Sara, also chose to extend her trip beyond the scope of the official program. Now a free citizen no longer bound by the rules of being birthright staff, it sort of felt like hanging out with an old teacher after graduating. She invited everyone who extended their trip to join her and a friend for brunch by the port of Tel Aviv. Several of us did, and enjoyed a phenomenal feast highlighted by decadent mushroom falafel and delightfully refreshing mojitos. Building on the earlier metaphor, one of our cohort likened the feeling we were all sharing to that of spending the last two weeks in high school and now finally graduating to college and experiencing true freedom for the first time.
After our meal, we strolled back to our hotel and Stephen and I watched the sun set over the Mediterranean from our balcony. Smoking hookah and sipping glasses of chenin blanc from the Galilee, a beautiful calm washed over us both. We hardly noticed the traffic sounds of the busy coastal street in front of us as we chatted about our favorite parts of the trip.
As the sun dipped below the horizon and our hookah coal petered out, we headed back into the room to enjoy an evening nap. As soon as I closed the sliding glass door behind and shut out the bustling sounds of the city below us, I realized that we were getting our first moment of real quiet since leaving New York. "Ahhh, finally some peace and quiet," I said.
At some point while that sentence was leaving my lips, Stephen had reflexively reached down and pushed the power button on the tv remote.
"ACHH HALLACH BEN ZACH MAL'KAHAZACH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLACH BLAH BLACH STEPHEN HAWKING BLAH BLAH BLACH," came blaring from the talk show that happened to be on, the volume left way too high by the previous guest. Ahhh, the cacophony of the real world is tough to escape for long. We shared a hardy giggle at the irony and perfect timing of what just happened.
He turned the volume way down, still chuckling a bit, and we settled in for our short slumbers. The tv is off now, and I'm enjoying the view of the crescent moon peeking through our window as I write this post. The peace has returned, and it's time for me to close my eyes and enjoy a nice rest.
Shabbat Shalom, everyone.
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