Day 6: A Shabbat Like No Other

What a beautiful day Shabbat was; almost no technology, no obligations, no watch-- just quiet, nature, listening to my body, and hours of open conversation with a great mix of folks. If only I could have shared the day with my beautiful family who I miss so much... it would have been a fuller taste of heaven.

Friday night after a long pre-Shabbat song session and a so-so prayer experience, a few of us went out into a field to view a far-off lightening storm. It was the kind of night that looked totally overcast, but when the lightening lit up the horizon, we could see the layers of clouds for a flash of a moment. Complimenting that beautiful view above the horizon, below was the farm, lit up intermittently with thousands of blinking lightening bugs-- a stunning combination we watched for nearly an hour.

I slept what felt like late, ate some cereal in silence (most others must still have been asleep!), and went for a walk on the 2.2 mile Loop Trail that circumnavigates the Pearlstone center and the adjacent JCC camp. I spent a good two hours slowly making my way around this beautiful trail; it hugs the edges of the fields and buildings, but briliantly makes you feel as if you're in the middle of nowhere. Never more than 100 yards from the "settled" property, one rarely sees formal signs of civilization. Pretty cool. Occasional signage to spark reflection (if one is alone) or conversation about nature and our affect on it. A huge downed tree leaves the sky cut open of foliage as well; the space is called "the open classroom" and was a great place to sit and read and listen to the birds and the stream running behind that beautiful space. I saw a box turtle and a baby deer and countless species of insect and bird. Towards the end of the trail is the low ropes course used by the JCC camp-- hoping to share some of those bits with Lys and the boys when they come.

I focused my energy on being in the moment. I napped when I was sleepy, I ate when I was hungry. I sat with a few folks intending to eat lunch, and four hours later I finally excused myself after long and beautiful discussions about loss, emotion, parashat Shelach Lecha, and who-knows-what else. After a snack and a shluf, I returned to the table for another long conversation about mechitza and the pros and cons of gender-divided study and prayer.

By that time, it was nearly time for havdallah and a rocking song session. So many talented musicians here-- there a far more instruments than people, which is kind of funny. We're going to sing our way through the summer...

Someone asked me late yesterday how different this was than Shabbat back home; it could hardly have been more different. I miss my family and miss my prayer community for sure; not sure I'll get what I need in the prayer department with this diverse chevreh, but I'll do what I need to do for myself while learning a lot from others about their spiritual practice. Last night I was wondering what elements, what flavors, what spices of this Shabbat I might be able to claim for myself, my family, and my community back home. I'm not clear at all yet; glad I have 3 or 4 more opportunities to think about that one. All I know is, I want more of the same, as much as I can. It was good.