As anyone in Israel knows, we had quite the large storm this past weekend (https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-pounded-by-heavy-rain-lightning-in-worst-storm-of-winter/). With plenty of flooding, lightning and wind mixed with Israel’s somewhat lacking infrastructure when it comes to dealing with rain…things were a bit of a mess. What did said storm teach me these past few days?
To stop complaining and be spontaneous.
I’m usually a person who sees the rain and stays inside, like most people I would gather. I woke up Friday morning complaining about the rain and how it was stopping all of my plans (including breakfast, goodbye brunch outside and hello hunger). Instead of letting me wallow in my self-pity of rain storms, Benji essentially told me to suck it up. Not only suck it up, but to enjoy it. So…we spent hours running around in the torrential downpours soaked to the bone (just as reference, my clothes are still wet)…and loving every second of it. We went to the sea and watched the giant waves (read: got hit by the giant waves), played makeshift soccer with an orange we found washed up from the rain, and walked for miles enjoying the cleansing rain fall and not seeing another soul from the edge of the port all the way through the park.
I think my move to Israel has thrown me for a bit of a loop. I went from a perfectly planned life, 10 years planned out in fact, to throwing it all into disarray in a split second. Although my move was spontaneous in itself, I feel that I’ve had very few spontaneous moments since my move…somehow trying to balance myself again and find my footing in this new environment. I felt that I couldn’t be spontaneous in Israel or I’d spin out of control, since I’ve had so little control here to begin with. This weekend reminded how much joy spontaneity (and a good attitude) can bring to your life.
Don’t get me wrong…I love Israel. Moving here was 100% the right choice for me. But to say it didn’t throw me off a bit is misleading. Things have been easy for me, yes…but I still picked up my entire life and moved halfway across the world entirely alone. I had to learn a new language, make all new friends, figure out the job market, succeed in said job market, learn how to overcome cultural differences, navigate a new city, figure out how to socialize with people who didn’t speak my language, and find the stable and strong parts of my being that I appreciate about myself so much. It’s been overwhelming at times…and I’m not quite through navigating it all. But, I think this weekend with the ‘worst storm of winter’ helped bring me back a part of my personality that I’ve missed…spontaneity and pure fun. It’s all about baby steps…and I’m getting back to my new normal here in Tel Aviv.
So even if I didn’t cross off any list items this weekend, it taught me some really important lessons.
Live in the moment.
Enjoy everything, even when it seems like you can’t.
Stop complaining and change your own luck.
Not everything is meant to last forever, whether relationships or experiences, so make the absolute most of everything while you can.
It’s okay to not have a plan.
Literally, dance in the rain…it’s weirdly freeing.
So for those wondering…no, I don’t like pina coladas but I sure do love getting caught in the rain.
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