Category Archives: On My Mind

On My Mind

Dear You

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It’s a little bit funny this feeling inside
I’m not one of those who can easily hide

I grew up listening to Elton John and this particular song always comes back to me in moments of a certain strong emotion. As I write this, the video is playing in the background and I know I’ll be listening to his music all night. I’m writing now as a way to stay grounded, to remind myself of where I’ve been and where I’m going.

Where we’ve been.

I spent this afternoon with my best friend from the last ten years. He lives only a few miles from me, in an apartment leased in both of our names. I pass that street every day on the way to work. I had dinner on that block just last night.

We broke up back in August. A lot happened between us and everything changed. I’ve learned a lot since then. I’ve grown, hopefully in positive ways.

A friend called to ask how the afternoon went and when I tried to explain, I found myself a little choked up. There’s a whole life buried under the coffee we shared today.

I know it’s not much but it’s the best I can do
My gift is my song and this one’s for you

After all that has passed between us, I just want to thank you. I want to thank you for always being able to make me laugh, for holding me when I cried, for giving me the wings I never would have found without you. I want to thank you for teaching me to run and for broadening my understanding of the world. Thank you for all the times you didn’t give up on me. Most importantly, thank you for letting me see you, know you, and love you.

I didn’t always do right by you because I didn’t know how to do right by me. I’m sad for both of us that I didn’t know better. I know better now and I’m sorry you were the one caught in the middle of that journey of self-discovery.

I want you to know that you are always welcome in my corner of the sky, in my home, or at my table. I wish everything for you that you wish for yourself. I hope that you smile and find peace in where you are and what you’re doing. Please know that I’m always cheering for you, darling, and that will never change.

Love always,

Rebecca Michelle

On My Mind

A Note from Israel

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Greetings from the Holy Land!

View from my hotel room

I’m in Tel Aviv right now on a free weekend while the students are off at host families. I spent the day at the beach, which was beautifully relaxing and rejuvenating. We will be on a plane back to the US mid-week. 

Over the last 11 days, we’ve had a stomach virus, several versions of the common cold, a camel bite, two sprained ankles, and dehydration. We’ve seen old friendships fracture and new friendships develop. We’ve crossed the country and spent time in the  mountains, desert, and three bodies of water. We’ve met new people and learned about ourselves and others along the way.

Being on this trip with students, like doing anything with students, requires a level of confidence that I don’t normally have about my own life. It means being optimistic even when I’m anything but hopeful, calming when my own stress levels are high, and compassionate when my patience has completely dissipated. 

Although the kids are constantly asking about what’s next, I try to remind them to focus on and enjoy what they’re experiencing now. Emphasizing mindfulness and gratitude for what there is now has been a helpful reset in my own mind, as well. For a change, I’m trying to figure out my own next steps. I’ve always been a planner and I’ve watched the plans I’ve made fall to pieces again and again. What has remained, however, is a feeling of serenity and internal peace when I am able to push the plans aside for just a moment. Those are the feelings I have been trying to help my students find on our whirlwind tour of Israel.

Today, think about today. Tomorrow will come when it’s time, regardless of whether you’re ready. Enjoy this moment for as long as you can hold it in your hands, and take that feeling, learning, and sense of awe with you to the next moment. Feel what you’re feeling, not what you think you should be feeling. Embrace the thoughts that come, recognize that they’re there, and use those thoughts to put yourself in a place where your current experience guides what happens next. Tomorrow will come when it comes. Now is already here.

Makhtesh Ramon
On My Mind

Israel Through New Eyes

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In just a few days, I’m joining the eighth graders on their two-week B’nai Mitzvah trip to Israel. I’m excited to share a country I love with students who have never seen it, glad to experience it again with colleagues who have visited often, and curious to hear yet another narrative about this land that generates so much passion from all sides.

I’ve written about Israel before and I’m interested about what stories will and will not align with my evolving views on peace and war. I’ll get back to you on that.

Recently, I heard a Hidden Brain podcast about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that provided an update on two men featured in a previous episode. The 30-minute update, which you can listen to and understand without the original story, is here:

Hidden Brain – Encore of Ep. 24: Tribes and Traitors

If nothing else, begin listening at 22:38. Podcast host Shankar Vedanatam leaves listeners with a scene from Westling Jerusalem, a one-man show that reflects the multidimensional relationships between Arabs and Israelis and provides even more complexity to a persistent problem. The soundbite from the show is about 6 minutes long and, I believe, worth your time.

There’s a lot of work to be done in this world. I’m hopeful that this trip will instill in my students  the need for such work. The world needs fresh minds and clear heads.

There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called Yesterday and the other is called Tomorrow. Today is the right day to love, believe, do, and mostly live. – The Dalai Lama