The Light in the Darkness

Today was hard. I was back on the job after a relaxing weekend, immersing myself in counter-terrorism. And as I read article after article on the havoc that others intended to wreak on strangers, the death they wished upon fellow human beings, I felt a sadness well up in my heart. Why, why, why? It just seems so wasteful and so hateful and so depressing.

Me all day

However, I simply remembered three wonderful things that kept me afloat this Sunday (which is Israel's equivalent of a Monday--terrible enough already), and I was able to make it through.

First of all--the wonderful Shabbat I was privy to, and the wonderful relaxation it provided. Most of the other interns were ragin' away and invited me to do the same. You would think that since Tel Aviv has one of the best bar scenes in the world and the drinking age is 18, I would have spent my weekend doing something like this:

wooooooo

Alas, anyone who knows me wouldn't be surprised that my weekend was a little more like:

and

Honestly, though, the rest I had this weekend and the chance I had to center myself kept me sane today.

Second thing I remembered: the luck I have in being a member of such a wonderful host family. I love talking to and playing with all the kids in the family. Whether I'm dressing-up with O'Reit, the four-year-old (I make an excellent Minnie Mouse FYI), gushing over Friends and Harry Potter with Atara, throwing a baseball around with Akiva, or chatting with the older gals in the fam, I feel completely at home in a foreign country. It's hard to believe that I've only been here a little over a week; I feel like I've found a second family. I can already tell it will be immensely difficult to say goodbye--I may even shed some tears (shocking, I know)--but for now, their presence in my life makes my heart smile.

And finally--TRAVEL PLANS!!! I am finalizing flights to Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan, and organizing trips to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Dead Sea... My entire life I have wanted to see the world. I've wanted to explore and to learn and to see the world from every perspective. And I am finally, finally, finally making my dreams come true!!! I'm spending money I've worked hard for on experiences that I have coveted and that I will cherish. It's immensely fulfilling. WAHOO I COULD DANCE, I'M SO EXCITED

WERK IT GURL

Tomorrow and Tuesday will be climbing into the 90's, so I plan on schlepping my bikini to work and racing out of the office right at closing time to ride 15 minutes to the beach. And as I lay there in the sun, and tan away my worries, I'll remember that while there may be evil and darkness in the world, it takes only a few pin pricks of love and light to leave an everlasting glow. 

With a candle burning in my heart,

Keeping It Together Aubs