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.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Days 3, 4, and 5: The Chesapeake Watershed Pilgrimage
What if I were the smelly person on the bus?
Wow. I really am 40, and I feel every bit of it.
What would it be like to jump off this cliff, swing on this rope swing, and fall 25 feet into that river?
How wonderful it is, and how much easier than I thought it would be, to let go and let God...
What if I decided that I wanted to swim under a rushing waterfall, just to see what's under there?
I wonder if God is trying to send me a sign with this--my second flat bicycle tire in a little over a mile?
These and many other wonderful and bizarre thoughts popped into my head over the past three days as we hiked 17 miles, canoed 8 miles, and biked 10 miles (well, almost biked-that story to come later) down this bit of the 7 state long Chesapeake Watershed. We ended today with a beautiful but rain-shortened sail on the Bay.
I am as tired as I can ever remember; I just took one of the longest showers of my life to wipe away least the first few layers of the grime I accumulated (a little less grime having had some of it washed away by a rushing waterfall and that 25 foot plunge into the river!); but I am so happy to have participated in this beautiful, extremely challenging journey. We went from dipping our water bottles into the river to refill them (so clean was the river upstream) to not being able to even swim in the bay the river empties into (so polluted is the bay). We visited two amazing organic farms, each started by buddies of Jakir. There are so many stories to tell, but right now, I must to bed. No rest for the weary-- 5 more hours of harvesting tomorrow beginning at 8 a.m... Shabbat is coming...
More tomorrow. For now, here are some pictures from the pilgrimage:
Wow. I really am 40, and I feel every bit of it.
What would it be like to jump off this cliff, swing on this rope swing, and fall 25 feet into that river?
How wonderful it is, and how much easier than I thought it would be, to let go and let God...
What if I decided that I wanted to swim under a rushing waterfall, just to see what's under there?
I wonder if God is trying to send me a sign with this--my second flat bicycle tire in a little over a mile?
These and many other wonderful and bizarre thoughts popped into my head over the past three days as we hiked 17 miles, canoed 8 miles, and biked 10 miles (well, almost biked-that story to come later) down this bit of the 7 state long Chesapeake Watershed. We ended today with a beautiful but rain-shortened sail on the Bay.
I am as tired as I can ever remember; I just took one of the longest showers of my life to wipe away least the first few layers of the grime I accumulated (a little less grime having had some of it washed away by a rushing waterfall and that 25 foot plunge into the river!); but I am so happy to have participated in this beautiful, extremely challenging journey. We went from dipping our water bottles into the river to refill them (so clean was the river upstream) to not being able to even swim in the bay the river empties into (so polluted is the bay). We visited two amazing organic farms, each started by buddies of Jakir. There are so many stories to tell, but right now, I must to bed. No rest for the weary-- 5 more hours of harvesting tomorrow beginning at 8 a.m... Shabbat is coming...
More tomorrow. For now, here are some pictures from the pilgrimage:
An amazing berry bush we couldn't quite reach, so Dan stood on Yakir's back and pulled the branch down so we could feast!
Morning haze over the campsite
Our sailing ship on the Chesapeake Bay--we made it!
Raising the sail
My poor but happy feet!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Day 2: Into the Frying Pan
Five wonderful, sweaty hours in the field today, beginning with some Chi-Gon (some kind of martial art akin to Tai-Chi) at 6:30 a.m., breakfast, and into the field at 8:00 a.m. We were spread all over the farm; I first cut a little over 10 pounds of lettuce for the CSA they run here-- about 40 members. Then we took the lettuce into the greenhouse and washed it twice, and dried it in the biggest salad spinner I've ever seen-- Lev would love it! Then we bagged the lettuce into twenty 1/2 lb. bags for those who'd be picking up their shares today. What a joy this seemingly mundane work was-- seeing a project from start to finish in a most fulfilling way.
Then, out to the field, where we planted probably 150 fennel plants and an equal number of dill plants. Thanks to my trainer/taskmaster Dan at Millenium Fitness for making me do all of those lunges carrying 40 pounds-- I hated every minute of it, but I think that the work will pay off in fewer sore knees and backs!
Jakir, the farm director, gave a few of us a tour of this amazing farm-- funny to work and sweat five hours and THEN have a tour, but that's just the way it worked out... This truly is a remarkable place. The farm is only in its fourth growing season; they started out with a heavy focus on education, which they've really done well. The adjacent JCC camp sends hundreds of kids to work here every day during the summer, and there's a whole kids garden with nooks and crannies for them to dig and play in.
More recently, with an increasing number of staff and volunteers, Jakir and the team have been able to turn their attention to higher volume production. Just yesterday, they started a whole new field with 500 tomato plants. Their CSA has grown by leaps and bounds, and they need to jack up production to keep up.
There is an amazing group of people here- staff and volunteers. Just one practicing Orthodox guy at this point, although once the Kollel study program begins in a couple of weeks, there will be more. The staff is a diverse group of men and women committed to farm education and Jewish values, and there is so much I will learn from them. The four summer "fellows" are four women in an around college age with a variety of environmental experience and a diversity of interests. Should be a lively time in the next couple of weeks, even before the Kollel folks get here. In the meantime, I am the oldest person here by at least 10 years, and it's only Jakir and I who are even married, let alone have kids. So far, no old man jokes-- I'll keep you posted!
I explored town just a bit this afternoon-- not much to see so far, but I found the grocery store and an ice cream bar-- yum!
Tonight we met for over an hour to discuss the Chesapeake Watershed Pilgrimage, which begins tomorrow. About 12 of us will head out on a three day adventure of hiking, canoeing, biking, and sailing, which promises to be physically challenging and, hopefully, deeply spiritual. The goal is to connect with nature as well as this amazing substance-- water-- and to learn about what happens to the watershed as it goes through a variety of human habitats. I will be off line on this adventure until Thursday night-- not even bringing my celll phone (thanks for the agitation, Lys!)... Funny-- they gave us a printed itinerary on which the last time on Thursday is BEER. I guess we'll need a few cold ones after this journey...
I look forward to blogging you all about it!
Then, out to the field, where we planted probably 150 fennel plants and an equal number of dill plants. Thanks to my trainer/taskmaster Dan at Millenium Fitness for making me do all of those lunges carrying 40 pounds-- I hated every minute of it, but I think that the work will pay off in fewer sore knees and backs!
Jakir, the farm director, gave a few of us a tour of this amazing farm-- funny to work and sweat five hours and THEN have a tour, but that's just the way it worked out... This truly is a remarkable place. The farm is only in its fourth growing season; they started out with a heavy focus on education, which they've really done well. The adjacent JCC camp sends hundreds of kids to work here every day during the summer, and there's a whole kids garden with nooks and crannies for them to dig and play in.
More recently, with an increasing number of staff and volunteers, Jakir and the team have been able to turn their attention to higher volume production. Just yesterday, they started a whole new field with 500 tomato plants. Their CSA has grown by leaps and bounds, and they need to jack up production to keep up.
There is an amazing group of people here- staff and volunteers. Just one practicing Orthodox guy at this point, although once the Kollel study program begins in a couple of weeks, there will be more. The staff is a diverse group of men and women committed to farm education and Jewish values, and there is so much I will learn from them. The four summer "fellows" are four women in an around college age with a variety of environmental experience and a diversity of interests. Should be a lively time in the next couple of weeks, even before the Kollel folks get here. In the meantime, I am the oldest person here by at least 10 years, and it's only Jakir and I who are even married, let alone have kids. So far, no old man jokes-- I'll keep you posted!
I explored town just a bit this afternoon-- not much to see so far, but I found the grocery store and an ice cream bar-- yum!
Tonight we met for over an hour to discuss the Chesapeake Watershed Pilgrimage, which begins tomorrow. About 12 of us will head out on a three day adventure of hiking, canoeing, biking, and sailing, which promises to be physically challenging and, hopefully, deeply spiritual. The goal is to connect with nature as well as this amazing substance-- water-- and to learn about what happens to the watershed as it goes through a variety of human habitats. I will be off line on this adventure until Thursday night-- not even bringing my celll phone (thanks for the agitation, Lys!)... Funny-- they gave us a printed itinerary on which the last time on Thursday is BEER. I guess we'll need a few cold ones after this journey...
I look forward to blogging you all about it!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Day 1: Still Tired from the Move
I can't believe it. More than four years in the making, and I'm actually on sabbatical! It hasn't quite sunk in yet, although saying goodbye to Elyssa and the boys made it a little more real, for sure!
I hope to use this blog to record my thoughts and experiences in this, the first of two summers of the first sabbatical of my rabbinate. I've named it "Let go and let God," because as plans for the summer have evolved, it has become increasingly clear that the major themes of the summer are: "I'm not in charge," and, "I don't really know what exactly I'll be doing tomorrow!" I am so looking forward to a summer where I try to live those two mantras-- so different from my everyday life back home.
This summer begins with time on an organic farm in rural Maryland, and I've just moved into my platform tent that I'll be sharing with one other guy. It's a beautiful, sunny, 80 degree day, and the tent is nestled in a shaded area, so I'm resting comfortably on my bed after a bit of unpacking followed by a bit of exploring the grounds. The farm is on the grounds of a Jewish retreat center and adjacent to a JCC summer camp, so the place is always hopping.
There are three acres of fields already bursting at the seams with what I could tell includes herbs, garlic, asparagus, tomatoes, zucchini, strawberries, carrots, and a ton of other things that I'm sure I'll be able to record over the next few days. In addition, there's a brand new plot of land-- about the same size, I think, that was just planted this morning with hundreds of tomato plants. The farm director tells me that we'll be spending a lot of time in that field because, being new, it will need a great deal of work. God is laughing, I think; me who can't seem to successfully grow a single tomato back in New Jersey is going to be tending hundreds of plants here in Maryland...
I'm soon to join a small group of summer interns to cook dinner in what's called the moadon-- a small building with a kitchen, a washer/dryer, and bathrooms. Don't know what's for dinner, but I'm told it'll rely heavily on what's growing in the field...
I hope to use this blog to record my thoughts and experiences in this, the first of two summers of the first sabbatical of my rabbinate. I've named it "Let go and let God," because as plans for the summer have evolved, it has become increasingly clear that the major themes of the summer are: "I'm not in charge," and, "I don't really know what exactly I'll be doing tomorrow!" I am so looking forward to a summer where I try to live those two mantras-- so different from my everyday life back home.
This summer begins with time on an organic farm in rural Maryland, and I've just moved into my platform tent that I'll be sharing with one other guy. It's a beautiful, sunny, 80 degree day, and the tent is nestled in a shaded area, so I'm resting comfortably on my bed after a bit of unpacking followed by a bit of exploring the grounds. The farm is on the grounds of a Jewish retreat center and adjacent to a JCC summer camp, so the place is always hopping.
There are three acres of fields already bursting at the seams with what I could tell includes herbs, garlic, asparagus, tomatoes, zucchini, strawberries, carrots, and a ton of other things that I'm sure I'll be able to record over the next few days. In addition, there's a brand new plot of land-- about the same size, I think, that was just planted this morning with hundreds of tomato plants. The farm director tells me that we'll be spending a lot of time in that field because, being new, it will need a great deal of work. God is laughing, I think; me who can't seem to successfully grow a single tomato back in New Jersey is going to be tending hundreds of plants here in Maryland...
I'm soon to join a small group of summer interns to cook dinner in what's called the moadon-- a small building with a kitchen, a washer/dryer, and bathrooms. Don't know what's for dinner, but I'm told it'll rely heavily on what's growing in the field...
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