A Step in the Right Direction

June 17

One of the most interesting things I’ve learned, especially in my young adult part of my life, is that life is in turbo speed all the time. It’s as if life took one of those quadruple espresso shots with a touch of speed or something else strange like that. Nothing was more apparent of this then the last three days of my life.

I knew that my mother had told me to clean out the whole room of mine at the house before I left, but I shrugged it off until the last minute (of course). Over the span of these days of cleaning, I came across different mementos from every time period throughout my life – from near-birth all the way through my final days of college. Talk about being nostalgic – some of the artifacts and clothes I found I hadn’t seen in years. I really was moving on from Tucson and this was the first sign to me.

Overall, I collected six huge garbage bags worth of clothes I was parting ways with to be given to Goodwill. Each item of clothing carried with it a story, as cliché as that sounds. I like to think my memory is top-notch, so I was able to remember a story revolving around each USY shirt, sports shirt, and even dress clothes. I was reliving my life through my clothes and belongings. I actually somewhat enjoyed cleaning for one of the first times in my life.

My last day, aside from packing for at least the next two years of my life, was reserved for saying goodbye to friends and family who I wouldn’t be seeing for quite some time away from Tucson. These were all meaningful and touching, but none more than a goodbye to my Bubbe and Zayde. I’m thankful they’ve always lived in the same city; I know I can always get a good meal, life advice, or family history lessons (among other things). Heck, Zayde came every week to my kindergarten class – I’ve never seen a grandfather do that with such genuine care. Needless to say, I was legitimately sad. They are visiting me in December and I can’t wait to see them and my whole family then. But, unfortunately, it’s a natural first thought to say to oneself, “Am I going to see these people again?”

We can’t take anything for granted, and my Bubbe and Zayde really exemplify this. They have worked so hard and given so much in their lives just for the goodness of others, I can only dream of doing the same.

As I left Tucson for the last time June 17 at 7:30 AM, it was literally as if my life was transitioning before me instantly. I was with my sister, Allison, and one of my life-long friends, Justin, both of whom would be in Israel the following year, and we were planning on attending a barbeque for Israelis when arriving from our drive to Los Angeles. Leaving Arizona for Israelis – clearly a small step, but after speaking more Hebrew during the night than many weeks prior combined, I felt like I was at least one with them (as much as I could).

Just being with a majority of Israelis made it easy to see that a) Israeli girls are beautiful, b) they’re all so friendly, and c) I need to work on my Hebrew – badly. I conversed for the whole evening but have much room for improvement, improvement that is necessary for avoiding being completely overwhelmed.

I took another step towards Israel today, even if t was physically the wrong direction. However, it’s the mental part that is the most vital to mater. Anyone can be in Israel. It’s another thing to become Israeli. I may never achieve this, but I’m not going to ever give up, I know that much. It’s going to be hard, but as I’ve mentioned earlier, an easy life would lack excitement and be dry.

In an hour I am turning 22. You know, every year is supposed to bring another year of wisdom, growth, and insight. I hope, for myself, that these three things and beyond will all take place. Only time can tell. It’s nice when I meet Israelis and they tell me congratulations for making Aliyah and joining the army; it makes me feel good, it really does. But I hope this year is something I can look back on and evaluate my growth in a positive light. The clock is now ticking.