Category Archives: Random Writing

Jerusalem 2013

Forget thee, O Jerusalem

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(Photo: Jerusalem, 2013)

Today is my birthday according to the Hebrew calendar. 42 years ago, I was born on Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day). My family tells me I always felt connected to Jerusalem as a child and wanted to visit often. Over time, I started to understand the significance behind the day, the tension, the politics, etc. and eventually, the peaceful warrior within me began to feel like maybe I was born on this day for a reason, even by “choice”. I thought there was some higher purpose to it, something I came here to do, or help with.

I wanted Jerusalem to be a universal sacred space; a safe haven for all faiths and all cultures. I wanted it to be an example for the rest of the world. I never even considered myself ‘religious’ but I always understood it’s importance. Once during a random meditation, I had an extremely vivid “vision” (I don’t usually get those, though I wish I did). I saw planet Earth from afar, and a soft light started to emanate from our little corner of the world. It became brighter and brighter, and soon it was so bright that the rest of the world could not help but stop everything they were doing to turn their attention to it, almost squinting as they tried to take it all in.

For years, I would carry this image with me. It was a metaphor for what I wanted for this country. Those were the days of hope and naïve innocence, but the older I got, the harder it became for me to see this vision, or my purpose, clearly. With each passing year, and with each passing news headline, it became more difficult for me to relate to the current state of reality, or to envision a better one.

Today, I still want to keep the vision alive but I’m starting to forget how or even why. Sometimes I wonder if the light show I imagined was just the Middle East self-destructing. (That would be an interesting spectacle, too.) ??

Crazy Broom Lady

A weird-looking flying insect that was a little too big for my comfort:
Him: Hey, what’s up? Nice place ya got! (looks around)
Me: Um…. hi??
Him: What’s this? What’s this? What’s this? What’s this? This looks interesting. Maybe I’ll hang out here for a while. (settles down)
Me (with a broom): Oh no, you don’t! You can’t stay here.
Him (literally becomes louder and starts flying around dramatically): WTF, crazy broom lady!? You wanna back off a bit?!!
Me: Ok, ok, I’m sorry! Look, I’m putting the broom down. But can you please just leave? You can’t stay here…..
Him: You think I WANNA be here now, lady? (continues frantically bumping into things)
Me: Ok, look, I’ve made 3 exit points available to you. I really need you to focus here.
Him: I’m trying. Is this it? Is this it? Is this it?
Me: Focus harder. -_-
Him: Is this it? Is this it? Is this it? Is this it?
Me: Yes, you’re getting closer!
Him: Is this it? Is this it? Is this it? Is this it?
Me: YES! ALMOST THERE!
Him: Is this it? Is this it? Is this— Oh.
Me: YES!
Him: Well, I guess this is it. Peace out, crazy broom lady!
Me: Ok, bye! Safe travels! And sorry again about earlier! (runs to shut down all exit points)

The Calming Effect

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Over the past few years, I’ve been told by several people in various situations, that I have a “calming effect” on them. It always makes me laugh because I know my mind and “calm” is not necessarily the right description. The calm before the storm, maybe.

Usually, I just write it off to the fact that I’m soft-spoken, polite, (you know, just your basic ‘decent human being’ stuff which has become something of a lost art.) But tonight it happened again, a stranger I interacted with who started off by saying they had had a “long day”, later randomly mentioned this calming effect again.

It got me thinking, maybe I should stop ignoring these little messages from the universe and start using my calming superpowers for the greater good. I have a feeling the world could use some calming energy right about now and in the years ahead. Not sure what that means for me exactly, but I think I’m open to finding out.

When I wrote this on social media, someone commented: “It’s the balancing your being brings.. most people just don’t know what to call it.” It helped me to fine-tune this thing because I realized they were right.

In these moments, it’s usually me just “being” and the other person allowing themselves to share this space with me till we find some kind of balance. In tonight’s case we were forced to occupy the same space for a while so they had to adjust. In extreme situations, when people are way off to the other edge of the stress spectrum, my so-called calming energy can sometimes be overwhelming for them and they resist it even more. In those cases there is just no possibility for balance.

Anyway, that’s it. Namaste, bitches. (This calming thing comes and goes.)

It’s OK to Not Want Children

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It’s OK to not want children.

The reason I’m telling you this is because it’s something no one ever told me.

So just in case there’s somebody out there that needs to hear it… this one’s for you.

june cleaver

We’ve been told a lot of things.

We’ve been told that motherhood is a natural thing.

We’ve been told that there’s nothing like being a mother, or being a parent.

We’ve been told that it’s selfish not to want kids.

That one day, we’ll change our mind.

We’ve been told that it’s going to be some kind of scary disaster if we don’t want to have children.

“You’re going to regret it.”

“You’re going to end up alone.”

“No one is going to take care of you when you get older.”

“Your motherly instincts will eventually kick in.”

and.. (did I mention?) “One day you’ll change your mind.”

i dont want any kids

Once you hear these things enough times, at least in my experience, you tend to start doubting and questioning your own beliefs and desires.

“Is it true? Are they right? Will I change my mind?”

I waited 36 years for everyone around me ‘to be right’ until I finally had the clarity and the courage to face the fact that (gasp) maybe it was me who was right all along about what I want and don’t want. Shocking, I know.

So if you, like me, are not sure that you want children and people keep telling you that one day you’ll change your mind, then it’s time you also heard the following:

Not everyone is going to want children.

And that’s okay.

Because you don’t have to.

So, do whatever feels right.

relief

And you know what?

You don’t need to worry and make decisions like that based on fear, based on who is going to take care of you when you’re older, or whether or not you’ll be alone.

I’m sorry to break this to whoever is reading, but guess what? One has nothing to do with the other.

Having children is not some guarantee that they’ll take care of you when you’re older. I say that from experience, I’ve seen that around me.

And having children is not necessarily going to be the most pleasurable experience in the world, or help you find your purpose in life, or keep you and your partner together forever, or whatever other ridiculous idea we pass on from generation to generation.

what what baby

Each person should do what feels right to them.

If it really is your deep desire to be a mother — and I know that there are women out there who feel this way and I think that’s really awesome. In fact, those are exactly the kind of people that should be parents:  the ones that know, deep down inside, that this is their purpose here on this planet, to create and provide for another living being… and then another living being.. (and then another living being?), and not only are they willing to take on the challenge of everything that would entail, but they are excited and grateful for the opportunity to do so…?

I say: GO FOR IT.

Seriously. Follow your passion.

monica thumbs up

And then, if you’re not one of those people,

if for whatever reason you never had that same passion and desire….

but you’re kind of planning on going along with everybody else just because that’s what everyone else is doing…

even though it doesn’t actually feel that good to you…

then I’m just here to remind you:

It’s OK to not want children.

its ok to not want children

A Thousand Times We Die In One Life

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A thousand times we die in one life

Another piece of me died the other day. I realized that many of the “spiritual” things I have chosen to believe existed have never really been proven. Not by science, but more importantly, not even by myself. Psychic abilities, spirit guides, reincarnation, extraterrestrial communication, soul contracts, multi-dimensional realities, etc, etc – I spent my entire life believing in these things and defending them to others without ever really having any of my own proof or personal experience.

Ever since I was a kid this world was never enough for me. Always needing more, always searching for more. And now, TROLOLOL, the joke was on me because apparently my real life mission was to accept that this is all there is and to find the beauty and magic in it. It took me half my life to discover my real mission, and I suppose the rest of my life to implement it. Who knows, maybe once I surrender to what already is and find my peace with it, the other things I’ve been searching for will just open themselves naturally to me. Or maybe it wont even matter anymore whether or not they are true.

Dear Mr. President

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Dear Mr. President
When I was in 3rd grade we were asked to write a letter to the POTUS. I recently came across this letter and noticed the little edit that my teacher decided to add in red. I don’t know if to be mad at the teacher for trying to force her political views on me, or to thank her for trying to open my eyes at such an early age…

#SameShitDifferentYear  #WhenWillItEnd  #ThirdGraders4Peace

But…

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But...

If you insist on contradicting your desires with “buts” all the time, (i.e. “I want to follow my passion BUT I don’t think I can make money from it”), try switching it around and adding a “but” to your doubts, instead.

For example: “I don’t think I can make money from doing what I love…BUT…I know that others have done it so I’m willing to research the idea and seek examples of those who make money from similar passions.”

Next time a doubt comes to mind, try adding a “But…” to that thought and see what you come up with. Your brain won’t know what hit it and your heart will thank you.

(Speaking of making money from doing what I love, if you like my posts, please visit my online shop here: www.1111now.com)

~ Shira

How Thoughts & Feelings Create Reality

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Vibrational frequency

Did you know that your thoughts and feelings directly create your reality?

This is not a new concept, we do it all the time. The thoughts we think make us feel a certain way, and that feeling causes us to vibrate on a certain frequency – just like a radio dial tuning in to a certain station. Thoughts that make us feel bad have lower frequencies, and those that make us feel good have higher ones.

SO, what happens when you tune in to a certain frequency? Well, the same as when you tune in to a certain radio station – you get more of the same! That radio station (life) will continue to provide you with more and more things that match that low or high thought or feeling.

You can change the station, at any given moment, by reaching for a thought that makes you FEEL a little better than you do right now. The key word here is “feel” because your feelings and emotions will always be the indication of whether you are in a low or higher vibrational frequency.

Bedtime Comfort Challenge

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This is a practice that i have found pretty interesting and i wanted to share. I call it the “Bedtime Comfort Challenge.”

Basically when you go to bed each night, you ask yourself: “What can I do to be even more comfortable than i am right now?”

If you listen to your body closely you will always find more and more things you can do to feel even more comfortable. It could mean changing positions, or spreading your legs a little more, or noticing your jaw is tense and relaxing it, or relaxing your forehead, or moving your arm a little more to the left, or shifting a boob… You get the picture. You ask yourself that question again and again and act accordingly until you are so comfortable that you are practically melting into the mattress.

If you repeat this process on a regular basis, you’ll benefit in 4 ways:

1) You practice bringing yourself into the NOW. In those moments, you are not lost in thought, reviewing the previous day or worrying about the next one, you are here and now, in this bed, in this moment.

2) You start training yourself to bring your awareness down into the body and to what it needs. For many of us, we are so ‘in our heads’ most of the time that often we forget there is a body attached.

3) You start getting used to paying attention to what makes you feel good, and to go in the direction of it. As that becomes more habitual, you’ll see it apply to other things in your life as well – finding the thoughts, words or actions that feel good to you and going in the direction of them.

and finally…

4) Its just really freaking comfortable and relaxing, and our bodies, minds and souls deserve that.. 🙂

You know those people who wait at airports with signs of people’s names? Someone should totally do that with a “Jesus Christ” sign. Just throwing it out there…

Eternal Salvation

Yesterday, two girls stopped me on the street, pulled out a bible that was all highlighted and underlined, and began to convince me to celebrate Passover because according to the bible, the only way to achieve ‘eternal salvation’ is to drink wine and eat bread on Passover.

Me: Hmmm.. Could you define “eternal salvation” please?

Them: Like.. when you die, you’ll be like.. saved. Eternally!

Me: Wow, that’s interesting.. And all i have to do is eat bread and wine on Passover?

Them: Yeah! Well, not ALL you have to do, but God commands that you do that if you want salvation.

Me: Well, I’m Jewish and we already celebrate Passover so does that mean that i already receive eternal salvation?

Them: Um.. uh.. (i guess they weren’t sure if the “Get Out of Hell Free” card includes Jews)

<fast forward another 10 minutes of BS persuading techniques and witty comebacks>

Them: (exhausted) “Would you be interested in studying the bible with us?”

Me: “Sure! Would you be interested in studying things that aren’t the bible with me?”

Them: (shaking their heads) “We only go by the bible!”

Again they turned to a wonderful quote in their book, something about “anyone adding
to the word of God will be punished with plaques.”

Me: So the reason you don’t want to learn anything else is because you’re afraid God will punish you with a plague?

Them: No… We’re not afraid…god loves us unconditionally… he wants whats best for us!

Me: As long as you do what he tells you?

Them: Um… yea… no.. But.. Ok, well we really gotta go!

Me: OK. But before you go… and I’m not sure what the bible says about this but…Can i give you guys a hug? 

I practically watched their brain FRY before my very eyes. One started panicking and said “I cant, sorry”, the other one stumbled a little longer till she found her excuse: “I would but its just really HOT out and sticky and.. you know… OK bye!” and disappeared into oblivion.

Me: (to God) Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do 😉

God: LOL

Diving All the Way In

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Diving All the Way In

Recently I came across a man who home-schools his children. He said he doesn’t believe in sticking children inside 4 walls and forcing them to memorize information, but rather they take a topic that the child is interested in, and then they “dive all the way in”.

For example, if the child likes insects, they would go into the woods and observe different insects, then they would go home and research the ones they saw and learn everything there is to know about them – the different types, where they can be found on the planet, how their bodies work, etc. They watch videos, they ask questions, they discuss it, they dive all the way in.

What ends up happening is that the child naturally becomes exposed to things such as language, science, geography, math, etc, simply by being allowed to follow his or her current excitement.

I’m not a parent, but I am a kid, and that sure as hell makes sense to me… 🙂

S.R.S.E.

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People often wonder what they could possibly do about all the suffering and conflict they see in the world. Well, here’s your TO DO list (aka S.R.S.E.) :

1) SIT DOWN (Rest for a minute)
2) RELAX (stop worrying and being afraid)
3) SMELL THE COFFEE (enjoy the moment, be here now, bask in presence)
4) ENJOY THE RIDE (Let go and have fun!)

The truth is, this is the only thing you or anyone else can do about it. If you are able to bring that kind of peace and surrender into your daily existence, then you are bringing it into all of humanity. Because you are humanity; humanity is the sum of its parts.

Dear Animals, We’re Sorry. Sincerely, The Human Race

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Photo by Kevin J. Czarzasty © http://www.flickr.com/people/kczarzasty
Photo by Kevin J. Czarzasty © http://www.flickr.com/people/kczarzasty

Dear Animals,

We’re sorry we hurt you.

We’re sorry we torture you.

We’re  sorry we burn you for fun.

We’re  sorry we poke you.

We’re  sorry we prod you.

We’re  sorry we subject you to a lifetime of pain so we can eat you.

We’re  sorry we kick you just to feel better about ourselves.

We’re  sorry we rip the skin off your bones while you’re still alive.

We’re  sorry we sell you in pet shops and then abandon you when we’ve had enough.

We’re  sorry we leave you in garbage cans.

We’re  sorry we shove hormones down your throat.

We’re  sorry we steal your babies from you.

We’re  sorry we throw you off of bridges.

We’re  sorry we chain you up all day and all night.

We’re  sorry we drown you.

We’re  sorry we force you to do unnatural tricks for our entertainment.

We’re sorry we forget to feed you or give you water.

We’re  sorry our disgruntled slaughterhouse workers take out all their aggression on you.

We’re  sorry we force you to fight each other.

We’re sorry we force you to fight us.

We’re  sorry we use you for transportation.

We’re  sorry we sacrifice your life so we can have another leather couch, car seat, belt or pair of shoes.

We’re  sorry we make you scream in pain and then put a picture of a smiling chicken on the box.

We’re  sorry we make you feel like you are part of the family and then forget about you when the baby comes.

We’re  sorry we drag you behind our cars.

We’re  sorry we keep you in dark, crowded, horrid living conditions.

We’re  sorry we force feed you to make you fatter.

We’re sorry we burn your front paws in order to make you stand on two feet so our children can laugh.

We’re sorry we sexually abuse you for our fetishes.

We’re sorry we trap you.

We’re sorry we hunt you.

We’re sorry our shelters still use inhumane methods of killing.

We’re sorry we subject you to a lifetime of terrorizing experiments so we can have yet another shampoo.

We’re sorry we don’t report our neighbors who are mistreating you to the authorities.

We’re sorry we poison you in the middle of the night.

We’re sorry we humiliate you.

We’re sorry we keep you alone indoors all day long and then get too lazy to take you for walks.

We’re sorry we choke you and suffocate you.

We’re sorry we yell at you.

We’re sorry we leave you out in the cold rain and in the hot sun.

We’re sorry we forget you in boiling hot cars with no open windows.

We’re sorry we intimidate you to feel powerful.

We’re sorry we dump you when you’re old and sick.

We’re sorry we sacrifice you for our beliefs and religions.

We’re sorry we starve you as a form of “art”.

We’re sorry we expose you to explosions and gunshots so we can film another movie.

We’re sorry we trap you in zoos so we can watch you suffer.

We’re sorry we treat you like objects that can be exploited for our own selfish purposes.

And most of all: We’re sorry we don’t recognize you for the amazing, intelligent, glorious, magnificent creatures that you are.

Sincerely,

The Human Race

Written by Shira Tamir 2010

Is Someone Trying To Tell Me Something?

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I woke up this morning thanking the Universe “for the upcoming day, for the new opportunities that will open up for me, for the people that will cross my path and the coincidences or synchronicity of events that will help me to find my true purpose and higher Self.”  (It’s something new I decided to try…)

A couple of hours later, an old friend I used to work with suddenly messaged me asking how I was doing and what I have been up to lately.

I told him a quick overview of my situation, which right now consists basically of the fact that I recently returned from a very inspirational journey to India and that I am focusing on my writing, browsing new income options and slowly trying to find my place back on track in the “real” world.

“Yeah, but what about singing?”, he asked. “Are you singing??”

I was surprised by his question:

A) because I was surprised that he remembered how much I love singing and that he actually cared whether I was doing it or not
and B) because it was one of the things that had often crossed my mind (and my path) when I was in India.

First of all, I had been faced with certain social situations on the trip where I was challenged to overcome my shyness and so-called “stage fright” in order to enjoy the situations to their fullest. For example:

    • performing a Hebrew song for the beautiful Muslim family that hosted us on their houseboat in Kashmir (they insisted I sing!)
    • or learning to let go and sing freely in my room even after realizing that the acoustics in the guesthouse we were staying at were horrible and that everybody could hear everybody whether we liked it or not. This, by the way, I learned on my first day there after innocently singing to myself in my room only to have one of the guests who was staying one floor below me tell me I have a really nice voice..

So not only was I challenged to face my fears, but what was even more intense was the sudden deep calling I started feeling to somehow combine my love of singing with my spiritual path. I just wasn’t sure what that meant. And it was very “convenient” for me to simply forget all about it, especially when I returned home.

That is, until my old friend asked me the million dollar question above and I was instantly sucked back into pondering the whole thing again. The only answer that seemed to come out was, “Not yet, but I will.”

So that was that.

Later this evening, I went to try a Kundalini Yoga class for the first time in my life. The class was pretty interesting (though I don’t have much to compare it to) but what caught my attention most was a certain song that the teacher played at the end of the lesson. It was a mantra, a sort of prayer that repeated itself over and over, sung by a woman with a beautiful and angelic voice. Something about her instantly caught my attention and I was intrigued to find out who she was or what her name was. It also got me thinking once again about using singing as a form of getting spiritual messages across. I contemplated asking the teacher the name of the singer but for some reason, I just picked up my stuff and left, humming the song in my head.

Again, more “convenient.”

And back to my computer I went, only to find a random forwarded mail, waiting in my inbox. It read the following:

Recommended website: A singer who is all light and love.. Music for the soul:
http://www.snatamkaur.com/web10.html

I had the honor of discovering the singer Snatam Kaur earlier this week. She really is a channel of purity that connects to higher dimensions.

I clicked the link, and to my shock and delight, the song that started playing on her homepage was.. you guessed it.. the same exact song I had just heard at the class… the same angelic voice.

I was floored.

I was inspired.

And after reading about her life, I was even more inspired.

So anyway, I don’t know what to do with all this yet.

But I guess I can start by thanking the Universe for the upcoming day, for the new opportunities that will open up for me, for the people that will cross my path and the coincidences or synchronicity of events that will help me to find my true purpose and higher Self.

The Books That Crossed My Path in India

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the books that crossed my path

One of the things that played an important role on my recent trip to India (besides the amazing people I met there (but that’s a whole other post), were the amazing books that seemed to “cross my path” at just the right moment.

Whether running across them at local bookshops or receiving them for free from random travelers I met along the way, all 6 books seemed to have come into my life just as I needed to hear them most. The synchronicity of how it unfolded was incredible.

I found myself reading 4 or 5 books at a time (most of them I am still reading back home..) quickly jumping from one book to another in sort of a spiral form. It’s almost as if I came across enough information in one book to quickly prepare me for the next chapter in the next book, and then so on and so forth with the rest of them. By the time I went back to continue the first one, I was reading it from a whole new state of awareness, making it that much more clear to me as I read.

I couldn’t have planned it better if I tried.

So anyway, I strongly recommend any of the following books from my own personal experience. However, only you can know if and when the time is right for you. (Click the links to learn more about each one)

  • A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose: While buying this book at a Rishikesh bookshop, the owner told me how Eckhart Tolle had visited his shop a few years back and what an amazingly humble man he was. “There was just something about him that is hard to explain,” he said.
  • Who Cares?! The Unique Teaching of Ramesh S. Balsekar: I stumbled upon this book at a local coffee shop just as my mind was about to explode from all this new information. Instantly I understood that mentally analyzing everything to death (till death) was just not gonna cut it anymore.
  • Intimacy: Trusting Oneself and the Other: One of the most open and honest strangers I met on this trip suddenly offered me a copy of this book just when I needed to hear it most.
  • Siddhartha: A beautiful soul we met on the trip recommended this book to us, saying that she always keeps it with her inside her bag. This beautifully written novel seemed to combine all the insights that I have been stumbling upon lately into one intriguing story.
  • The Tenth Insight: Holding the Vision: On my last day in India, one of my neighbors dropped by my room to ask me if I wanted this book. Approximately 5 years after finishing “The Celestine Prophecy”, I guess I was finally ready…
  • Tomorrow’s God: Our Greatest Spiritual Challenge: This book literally  jumped out at me at another small bookshop in the area, just as I was questioning what my role was in the whole transformation taking place in the world. Strangely, one of the first words I noticed in the book read:

    Do you think this is happening by chance?

    This is not. There is no such thing as chance. The universe does nothing by accident. This book has come to you to tell you that you can change the course of human history.

    You.

    Not only the people who run governments or own corporations or lead movements or write books or are influential for some other reason. Not only those people.

    You.

    You can change the course of human history.

    This is not an exaggeration. Please believe me. This is not an exaggeration.

Dance Like Nobody’s Watching

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Last night I went for a walk with an Eckhart Tolle lecture sinking in through my mp3 (what can I say , I’m a groupie!!!)

I was approaching the Tel Aviv Port just as E.T. was in his motivational peak (for those familiar with Eckhart you know he’s not exactly a “motivational speaker” but that the real power lies in the peaceful simplicity of his words.)

Anyway, just as E.T. was encouraging me to “embrace the moment”, “be here Now”, “surrender to the present moment, no matter what form it may take”, “SURRENDER TO THE NOW”, his voice started drowning out to the sound of samba music coming from a large crowd of people standing along the port.

I then realized that what E.T. was really trying to say was “Oh, for god sake, take off the damn earphones, stop listening to me blabbing on about surrendering and embrace the present moment already!!!”

And so I did.

As I approached the crowd I realized that it was a huge samba party with people of all ages line dancing to the beat of the samba drums, following the lead of some dance trainers who were demonstrating the moves.

As with any type of similar situation, there were the people who were actually participating (and I must say, having the time of their lives..) and then there was the rest of the on-lookers circling the event, safely smiling and clapping away as the others got their grooves on.

I was with the on-lookers.

I was looking at the dancers, at how much fun they were having, and yet all I could hear was Eckhart’s words echoing in my ears: “SURRENDER!”

But I couldn’t.

The next couple of minutes consisted of a unique inner dialogue with myself (as a typical Gemini, I’ve gotten quite good at those) which consisted basically of this:

– Dance!

– No, I can’t…

– But you want to!

– No, I’m shy…

– Just do it!

– But I don’t know the steps..

– No one here knows the steps.. they’re learning as they go!

– But what if someone I know will see me?

– So what?

– What if they notice that I’m here all alone?

– Who cares????

– Hey I know, I’ll come back next week with my husband.. It will probably be much more fun with him anyway… Yeah, that’s what I’ll do!

– You chicken.

Ok, you get the point.

But here’s where the real magic started:

All of a sudden I noticed a little girl and her mom who were standing nearby. The mom was trying to encourage the girl to dance and the girl kept shying away. Each time the mom would gently nudge her, the girl would consider it for a moment, and then finally she would shy away clinging on to her mommy’s leg.

At that moment, I INSTANTLY had a flashback to my childhood where unfortunately I had been in so many similar situations: people encouraging me to dance or play or participate or sing (I sooo wanted to do that) .. and almost every single time I would eventually shy away, disappointing the people around me, but most importantly… disappointing myself.

And then suddenly it hit me:

I’M NOT THAT LITTLE GIRL ANYMORE! I don’t have to be that little girl anymore!! It is just my conditioned mind trying to take over, trying to convince me that this is something I wasn’t capable of doing.. that I was “too shy”. (Yes, those hours listening to Eckhart’s lectures were finally starting to pay off.)

As I was having this enlightenment, I noticed more and more people around me had started to join in the line dance. It was like a wave coming in and I knew that I could not stand in place any longer.. that if ever I wanted to prove something to myself I would need to do it NOW.

“JUST TAKE THE FIRST STEP”, that little voice inside me thundered over the music.

And so I did.

I took the first step and the next thing I know I was dancing to beat, shaking my booty along with the best of them…

And I was having FUN!

But that’s not the end of this story:

Just as I was starting to really enjoy myself, I suddenly noticed (now, get this…) the same little girl I had seen before, was now looking directly at me (out of all the other people in the crowd) and trying to copy my dance moves!!

I smiled to her and she smiled back this sweet, shy smile and before I knew it I was heading over to her (dancing as I went) and yelled to her, “Come dance with me!” She giggled and shied away, running back to her mom. And I continued dancing with the others till the end of the song.

When the song was over, I headed out of the crowd, but not before bumping into the little girl and her mother once again.

Before I could say a word, her mother gave me this huge smile and yelled “THANK YOU!” over the music (I guess she noticed me trying to get her daughter to dance.) I looked down at the little girl and told her, “You know, you’re a really great dancer! I SAW you!”

The girl looked back at me with her big brown eyes and beautiful smile and I could tell she was so pleased with herself when I said that.

Again, her mother thanked me and told me that I have a beautiful smile.

As I thanked her back I realized that I had just made a difference in that little girl’s life. That even though I was a perfect stranger, maybe I had succeeded in encouraging her to let go and feel good about herself.

Her mother looked at me like I was a human angel that appeared out of nowhere.

What her mother didn’t know was that all of this would have never been possible if it wasn’t for her little girl gently nudging ME on to face my fears.

Her daughter was MY angel.

And for that I shall be eternally grateful.

Dance like no one is watching

Where the Hell is Israel? Matt Harding Finds Out

YouTube legend Matt Harding(aka “Where The Hell is Matt”) dropped by Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv to film his Israeli fans dancing for his third YouTube clip. When my husband and I found out, we decided to join in, of course!

For those who still don’t know Matt’s story, here’s a rundown:

A few years back, Matt decided to screw everything, quit his 9 to 5 day job working with computer games and travel around the world. A friend of his came up with the idea to film Matt doing his “unique” dance at every location they went to and made the first “Where the Hell is Matt” video clip. The clip was an overnight YouTube success, which quickly got a chewing gum company called Stride to make Matt the following offer (more or less):

“Plan another trip around the world, anywhere you want, all expenses paid by us, and make a second clip for YouTube. All we want in return is that you write, “Thank you to Stride” at the end of the clip.”

Matt agreed. (Duh, you think?)

And so, here he is in the heart of Tel Aviv, filming yet another clip around the world, explaining how it is gonna work and demonstrating his infamous dance to the delight of the participants. I filmed this from inside the group of dancers:

For the record, Matt was charming and friendly (even in the scorching sun) and it was a pleasure making a fool out of myself for him:

Here Matt hands out Stride Gum bracelets to participants after they sign the release form:

Matt hands out Stride Gum bracelets to participants

Matt sneaks a peek at the camera before his girlfriend starts filming:

Matt Harding and his girlfriend sneak a peak at the dancers

Me, Matt and Niv (my hubby)

Me, Matt and Niv (my hubby)

You can see more video footage from the event on Ynet, (I’m the girl in the close-up at 1:01 being blinded by the sun).

This month alone, Matt has already managed to shoot his infamous dance in Portugal, France, Belgium, Sweden and now, Israel.

The final product is said to be up and running on the web in a couple of months.

Thanks, Matt, for spreading the love.

******************

UPDATE:

The finished video!

The Ones That Leave a Mark

Random Writing, , ,

I was up the other night, thinking about my life, my writing and what was holding me back.. when all of a sudden I stumbled across an old book report I had written back in high school on the Catcher in the Rye, graded by the most influential teacher I ever had in my life: Mr. George R. Blouin.

While looking over the paper, I instantly remembered our English class reading through The Catcher in the Rye together, and how Mr. Blouin he had pushed and pushed us to understand J.D. Salinger’s brilliant and touching interpretation of what it was really like growing up in today’s world.

Mr. Blouin spoke about the story with passion, challenging us lost kids to face our own phoniness and sarcasm through the eyes of the controversial protagonist, Holden. He would write on the board so fast, and with so much intensity, that usually I could barely make out most of his handwriting.

But it didn’t matter – he was getting the message across.

And when the smart-asses in the class didn’t quite ‘get it’, Mr. Blouin would climb on top of his desk to avoid “all the bullshit that was filling up the room”.

That was Mr. Blouin for you. He was just one of those teachers that was so respected, by so many students, over so many years, that he could pretty much get away with anything and no one would ever say a word. It was an unspoken law.

He was a man that told us the truth and pushed us to think for ourselves. He was the kind of teacher that would literally get furious with you if he felt you were not living up to your potential. He was a man that truly cared about his students’ lives, and it didn’t matter to him that he’d given those same exact speeches and introductions to generations of kids before us. He did it again and with the same passion.

So you can imagine why his comments and advice always meant the world to me.

And that night, in the midst of my writer’s block, Mr. Blouin had returned, through this lost and forgotten book report, to offer his words of wisdom once again.

I understand that I came across his words for a reason. I understand that it was meant to be.

What I still don’t understand, ironically enough, is his handwriting:

George Blouin - Catcher in the Rye