IF07: First Shabbat; or, when 2 + 3 ≠ 5
Yesterday morning after breakfast, I joined Naf in the greenhouse to check out the current operation and learn how to water some of the plants this weekend while he's away. He's having so much fun creating effective systems and I'm so looking forward to working together with him this year, seeing how similarly we think. He showed me some of his new simple technologies, too, which brough smiles to my face. One of the most immediate projects in there has us cleansing, bleaching, and purifying the whole inside space to eliminate bacteria and spores that have contaminated it, since one side has been filled with dirty grease containers for biodiesel production for the diesel furnace.
The rest of the day, flanking lunch prep and cleanup, Al and I put up tarps around the hot tub which would be used for the Mikvah (pre-Shabbat cleansing ritual) if anyone was actually polar bear enough to go in and be willing to come out in the cold, windy weather of the day. (I don't think most retreaters realized that these facilities aren't indoors ... until we told them and they said, "Oh, well, we're definitely not doing that.") And we moved furniture removed from Cedar down to Kaufman for winter storage.
There would have been more work together for us, but some folks showed up to lunch really late so cleanup seemed to go on for hours. However, I did have one good opportunity to receive kind feedback from Al about how wide my skill set is and how Adam shouldn't have to struggle to find a long term, salaried position for me here. I was also talking to Rose and Jenna about the prospect and have received no shortage of smiles and hugs and expressions of people's love because I've come home.
I'd been looking forward to this Shabbat for some time, curious about how DLTI participants' Kabbalat Shabbat service would be. It was fun because there was no shortage of singing together, which is what pleases me most in Jewish circles, and because the DLTI educators (whom I know my Jewish Renewal affiliation of old) all sat in the back to observe. The DLTI schedule is quite repetitive, though. It's almost entirely either eating or praying. Well, as Shir-Ya'akov pointed out at dinner tonight about the latter: "That's what the 'D' is for!"
Hey, the food's been great all weekend, too, and Shir made us a deliciously green smoothie after yoga this morning. Yep, I haven't found out yet where they found him, but Elat Chayyim has had the pleasure of Jonas offering Shabbat yoga sessions exclusively for staff. I haven't been on a yoga mat since sometime in the fall (I think), if not longer. So, it was great to be back to stretching and flexing. Jonas teaches Ashtonga Yoga, which is a breathing coordination practices with lots of postures but only two movements—inhaling and exhaling—with which all of the positions flow. Already, Jonas has observed (with my confirmation) that I tend to balance better vertically on my right side and am more flexible on my left, and he has ideas of how to address these imbalances and help me improve.
After lunch, I spent at least an hour finishing my unpacking and the reorganization of my room. It's now both habitable and presentable. I have my bed in the nook in the corner, where last year there was an ugly ceiling leak from the roof that Tony finally fixed before the end of the season. I've set up a long dresser as a desk with all my gadgets, and filled with non-hanging clothes and electronic accessories among six drawers.
My books are on the bookshelf with my bookend dividers, there's a nice new nightstand at the foot of my bed, which I formed with a box spring and two mattresses, and my hangables are in one closet and my Israeli flag hung at the head of my bed. I put the second box spring and mattress on the wall between the long dresser and the sink; it'll serve as a couch, facing the window, or a guest bed, or a place to watch movies with friends. And with this layout, there's a huge open floor space in the middle.
I need to be up for breakfast setup at 7:30 tomorrow morning and I want to shower first, so I'm off to bed now (or soon).
The rest of the day, flanking lunch prep and cleanup, Al and I put up tarps around the hot tub which would be used for the Mikvah (pre-Shabbat cleansing ritual) if anyone was actually polar bear enough to go in and be willing to come out in the cold, windy weather of the day. (I don't think most retreaters realized that these facilities aren't indoors ... until we told them and they said, "Oh, well, we're definitely not doing that.") And we moved furniture removed from Cedar down to Kaufman for winter storage.
There would have been more work together for us, but some folks showed up to lunch really late so cleanup seemed to go on for hours. However, I did have one good opportunity to receive kind feedback from Al about how wide my skill set is and how Adam shouldn't have to struggle to find a long term, salaried position for me here. I was also talking to Rose and Jenna about the prospect and have received no shortage of smiles and hugs and expressions of people's love because I've come home.
I'd been looking forward to this Shabbat for some time, curious about how DLTI participants' Kabbalat Shabbat service would be. It was fun because there was no shortage of singing together, which is what pleases me most in Jewish circles, and because the DLTI educators (whom I know my Jewish Renewal affiliation of old) all sat in the back to observe. The DLTI schedule is quite repetitive, though. It's almost entirely either eating or praying. Well, as Shir-Ya'akov pointed out at dinner tonight about the latter: "That's what the 'D' is for!"
Hey, the food's been great all weekend, too, and Shir made us a deliciously green smoothie after yoga this morning. Yep, I haven't found out yet where they found him, but Elat Chayyim has had the pleasure of Jonas offering Shabbat yoga sessions exclusively for staff. I haven't been on a yoga mat since sometime in the fall (I think), if not longer. So, it was great to be back to stretching and flexing. Jonas teaches Ashtonga Yoga, which is a breathing coordination practices with lots of postures but only two movements—inhaling and exhaling—with which all of the positions flow. Already, Jonas has observed (with my confirmation) that I tend to balance better vertically on my right side and am more flexible on my left, and he has ideas of how to address these imbalances and help me improve.
After lunch, I spent at least an hour finishing my unpacking and the reorganization of my room. It's now both habitable and presentable. I have my bed in the nook in the corner, where last year there was an ugly ceiling leak from the roof that Tony finally fixed before the end of the season. I've set up a long dresser as a desk with all my gadgets, and filled with non-hanging clothes and electronic accessories among six drawers.
My books are on the bookshelf with my bookend dividers, there's a nice new nightstand at the foot of my bed, which I formed with a box spring and two mattresses, and my hangables are in one closet and my Israeli flag hung at the head of my bed. I put the second box spring and mattress on the wall between the long dresser and the sink; it'll serve as a couch, facing the window, or a guest bed, or a place to watch movies with friends. And with this layout, there's a huge open floor space in the middle.
I need to be up for breakfast setup at 7:30 tomorrow morning and I want to shower first, so I'm off to bed now (or soon).
posted by Ben @ 12:23 AM
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