25 years old!

25 years old!

It's been a lovely day. I discovered the Israeli shuk for the first time. Included in this is the best bakery ever -- named Marzipan, though the bakery itself doesn't really have Marzipan. I ate them too fast, so unfortunately there's no pictures of my yummy rugelach. I also discovered how delicious fresh lemonade is and how a real shuk beats any other place for fresh food and produce. 

Into more philosophical thoughts... 

When I was younger (aka a teenager or elementary school kid), I saw 25 as this mythical age where everything in my life would be exactly where I wanted it to be. I'd have a good job (✓) that I love (✓) and would have great friends (✓) and an awesome apartment (✓). I'd also be happy (✓) and maybe have a spiritual connection with something greater than me (✓). Maybe I'd also be married and have kids, but I still have time for that. And, while I feel like I have so much more to do and so much more to learn, I am happy with where I am today.

I think the best thing that I've learnt over the years is to be grateful (the religious me has to add: to G-d) for what I have and to learn to see that everything is good in its own way (or for the good, but that's a whole other discussion). When I wake up in the morning, I am thankful to be alive. When I go to sleep, I am thankful that I lived another day. No matter what the day was like, I always try to see something good. And sometimes, it's hard to do and I fail. But I always try. And that has been an incredible shift in how I see the world.

A very small example of this is my phone. I came to Israel with my original phone + a phone that I was hoping to get unlocked and add an Israeli sim card to. It didn't seem like a hard task at the time, but it turned out to be a true nightmare. I bought a sim card + pre-paid plan at a phone store (that I conveniently never found again). Once they realized (after they had processed my payment) that my phone was locked, they looked at me with a typical Israeli expression on their faces and sent me to some location where they could either unlock or sell me a new phone. Obviously, there was no 'money back guarantee' on this. The story goes on to an adventure to go unlock the phone, long calls with my carrier back home, and finally just adding a travel pass after a week and a bit without a phone. So. Why this long winded story on a phone? I think until recently, I would have seen this as an (a) frustrating and (b) discouraging experience. And it partially was. But there was a greater part of me that didn't know why and couldn't explain it that trusted that somehow there was a greater plan to this and that no matter what, it would be for the good. Now, I don't think I ever found a reason for it, but I do know that at the end of the day, it really didn't matter. I was able to be more focused on my studies, get to know the girls around me, and I ended up not really needing anything. I would have gotten to the same result if I was worked up about all of this. But it didn't accomplish anything. Somehow, by trusting that there was something more, I was able to deal with the situation in peace and with a smile on my face. It didn't stress me out and I was able to deal perfectly well without it.

All that to say it's been an incredible year. I helped win an election and elect someone that I truly believe in to run the country. I finally converted to Judaism and become the person that I was meant to be. And I'm celebrating my birthday in the most holy place on earth, Israel, while spending my days making incredible friends and learning from the holy texts of the Torah and all the incredible breadth of knowledge that came with it. 

In the end, I learnt to be myself. And that is the best gift I could ever receive.

Some pictures:

Me and Vivian at the Kotel

The Shuk

The Shuk