What's Meant to Be, Will Be.

Hello, hello to all of my beautiful friends!

If I had known what awaited me in my gmail inbox this morning, I wouldn't have hit snooze three times. My plan was to wake up at 7 to get some writing done, then go about my day and continue working to develop Shabbat Across Israel. I was tired. The past few days have been an absolute whirlwind. It started on Monday night when I attended the Nefesh B'Nefesh NYC TweetUp. I met some amazing people there, all of whom do wonderful work for Israel and the Jewish community; I formed wonderful friendships with everyone from journalists, to writers, to philanthropists, cooks and social media gurus. We shmoozed a little too long, and closed the place down! And I stayed up way past my bedtime tweeting.

After a long day at work on Tuesday, I drove out to Queens where I met with Mr. Paul Kaye and his lovely wife, Susan. Details on that meeting will follow in another entry, but to keep it brief: Mr. Kaye played a key role in the establishment of Israel. He was an Officer on the Hatikvah, and was one of the first American Volunteers for the Israeli Navy Seals. I spent nearly three hours talking with him and his wife...but I'll leave you drooling for more on this topic. ;)

It was another late, but productive night.

Which brings me to this morning.

7:00 AM. The "strum" tune on my iPhone begins to chime. SNOOZE.
7:15 AM. There's that tune again, demanding my attention. I gave it about 30 seconds worth, and hit snooze again.
7:30 AM. Already? Fine. I begrudgingly turned off my alarm, and accepted the fact that I had to start my day. First things first. Email.

Still lying in bed, I grab my phone and open up my inbox. As I scroll through my new messages, my heart skips a beat. "Graduate Admissions, RE: Application Status." Suddenly I was eighteen again, clutching a large envelope that read: "Undergraduate Admissions, Penn State University", knowing that whatever this letter read might just change my life. I took in that moment this morning, as the sun danced through my window. I enjoyed the peacefulness of that moment right before something big...the silence where all you hear is your own heart beating. I took a deep breath, and clicked.

All I managed to get through was "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted..." before I flung my arms into the air, and collapsed back into my bed with tears in my eyes. I couldn't believe it. I did it.

I did it.

I actually made this happen. I took the initiative and made this happen. As I lay there, I began to think about how we, as human beings, behave in the face of challenges and uncertainty. It took me two years to gather the courage and take this enormous step. But now that I have, I realize that no matter how stuck you may feel, you have the power to grab hold of the reigns and change your life so that it suits your dreams. If you want to travel, do it. If you want to learn to fly, then dammit, hop in a plane and fly. If you put in the work, the Universe will take care of you.

I bought a bracelet the first time I went to Israel, from Hadaya Jewelers. Inscribed on the hammered silver, it says in hebrew: "What's meant to be, will be. I will fulfill my purpose, I will achieve my dreams."

                                                       See you soon, my beautiful Israel.

Adventure is Out There!

Shalom, my friends!

As you all know by know, I am embarking on a journey across Israel to explore the meaning of the Shabbat tradition in all walks of Jewish life. My mission, to make this happen, has been driving me through the past few months...since the "Ah-ha!" moment when the idea decided to come forward from the depths of my mind where it has been hiding, and growing for six years--to now.

Between securing connections for Shabbat Experiences and locating sources of funding, the past few weeks have been particularly stressful. But I know that I have to trust the Universe...that it will take care of me once I set off to do what I know in my heart, I am meant to do.

For two years, I've gone from here to there with careers and ideas of what I want to spend my life doing...with "travel and write" floating in the back of my head, never actually thinking it could be possible. Yet here I am, finally listening to my heart and my head as they lay out the path for me. Sometimes, I get scared. This is a huge turning point in my life. I am re-claiming it, out of the grasp of the status quo. I am pulling myself away from the office drones who march through the streets, stepping on a crushed layer of "has -been" dreams, all sacrificed in the name of security.

I am uncomfortable, scared and excited all at once. I am not afraid of failure, because failure is not an option. I do not believe that I will fail. I cannot quite put my finger on what I am afraid of...probably just the massive change that I know is about to occur in my life, and where it will lead me. But without change, are we any better than the office drones who live in a cycle of monotonous repetition? Without thrusting ourselves into the unknown, or...off the metaphorical cliff, how will we know what our impact can be? How will we know if we are fulfilling our potential?

I trust this dream. I trust this adventure. I trust the Universe, and I trust that by committing to this...everything else will follow.