Woche 3: Ist Routine schlecht?

This week we returned to the north. We settled about an hour's drive from Liberia (where Yoala's office is located). And this time a holiday home with a pool, in a small village 20 minutes walk from the sea. Yoala started working, mostly on Zoom and sometimes traveling to the office. We settled into a routine of beach and pool and I caught a glimpse of future routines with the kids while Yoala works. But I'm getting ahead of myself. The week began last Friday when we were still in Manuel Antonio. I started to notice how available I had become. The bandwidth increased from 0 to 100. This was first evident in my approach to sports - how difficult it was for me to go for a run in Israel and how easy it is here. But also in small things, reading a book, taking care to have headphones and sandals, using dental floss... Beyond the availability, I started to feel a lack of activity. My hands were really asking me to work. So I drove to the nearest city for a shopping frenzy with Mati - our shopping addict and with Ofri who needed something to do. I was looking for a carving knife for myself. The shopping yield was very successful, but the only knife I found was a toy knife decorated for tourists with a dull blade. I settled for what I had. In the evening we arrived at a famous restaurant where a real airplane stands at the center with an interesting story. Yoala tried unsuccessfully to force Mati to read the explanation in English. Inside the airplane, there are dozens of wooden works by the resident artist - a wood sculptor who has been working there for eight years. Yoala suggested I try to meet him, but I was skeptical (still from Europe). What will I tell him? That I also work with wood? Yoala insisted and inquired, and the next morning we came to meet him. We talked for almost an hour. Javier-Oscar told me about himself, how after a heart event he was ejected from the job market and when he wanted to return, he couldn't find work, fell into woodworking and has been working and creating in the restaurant for the past eight years, collecting wood (driftwood) from the sea, rivers, and forests, and creating animals and figures from it. I showed him pictures of my workshop and my work and those of my students. It was simply charming and inspiring. I bought two of his works and we parted with mutual excitement. What luck to have Yoala! We arrived home in the evening and I, full of inspiration, went to look for a branch on the street. I found one and began to carve a face on the branch with my pathetic knife. After about an hour of work, I made a bad movement and oops, I cut myself. A deep cut on the knuckle of my left finger. Lots of blood, we drove to the clinic. 4 stitches and a tetanus shot. The hand swelled like a balloon, painful and limiting movement. Last night after a week, I removed the stitches and the wound opened again. In short, not fun. But it's not the end of the world; we continued with our matters.

The next day we set off north. We arrived during the holy nights for the following saying: 'Wisdom. Dedicate yourself to calls from above.' We started to philosophize - what is the wisdom I was given with the injury: maybe that despite the high we were in, more difficulties and crises are expected. Perhaps a way to discover that we forgot to renew the insurance and came out cheap with only $500 in damage. I was in search of meaning. And apparently, when looking for it, one finds meaning even in things I usually would have dismissed. We drove in the car on the way north - about a 6-hour drive. I said I deserved a bit of comforting sugar given the circumstances and that I really wanted Golda ice cream. After a few minutes, we saw an ice cream sign near a well-kept shopping center. I wanted to stop, but we passed by it quickly, and I had already given up. I thought to myself that maybe the meaning was waiting for me there, and while I was pondering, Yoala asked: 'Do you want to go back there?' I immediately answered yes, meaning and ice cream were waiting for me there. I stopped and turned around. We got out of the car, in the center of the complex there was a large lawn with an airplane in the middle!! They went for a walk with Toto, and I began to wander around in search of ice cream and meaning. After a few minutes of walking, I encountered a wide metal pole with text in English. I started to read. A very beautiful text:

you will touch many lives, if only for brief moments and you will know the unrest in each life you touch

to you Sagittarius, I grant the gift of infinite abundance so that you can spread it widely enough to reach every corner of darkness, bringing light to it.

Wow, I found it. But what is Sagittarius? I lift my head a bit to the top of the pole - it is the astrological sign of Sagittarius. Wait, I am a Sagittarius. How can it be that I go in search of meaning and encounter a pole with such an address of my sign. I returned to Yoala excited and told her. She smiled and said that if it gives me meaning then excellent (I would have been condescending if it were the other way around). In any case, we agreed that this was exactly the dose of sugar I needed... and we gave up on the ice cream.

We arrived at the new house and entered the routine of beach and pool. Walks on the beach and runs. I had my best run yet. Usually, running requires mental effort from me - my body doesn’t really want to, but my head tells it to hit the road, to keep going, not to give up. And at the end of the run, it is of course worth it. Occasionally a run comes along where your legs lead you. Some gift from the body that just wants to go out, speed up, keep going forever while the head restrains. I ran from the house to the beach, on the sand, to the end of the beach, climbed a hill, moved to the next beach, and another one, on the rocks in the water... just me, Toto, and the sounds - Barry Sacharov ahead: the way still opens to the horizon... more awaits you, passing traveler... soon, reality... we are all slaves to someone... don't search far, stay close, because that’s how you love yourself, not in front of the mirror, but dive inside, yes, it can illuminate you.

I remembered my mantra and that of Shauli when we traveled in South America - the good things in life are truly free. It was stated back then on how much money is spent during a trip on attractions better or worse, to experience, to feel. But in the end, the most significant experiences are the daily ones that come by chance.

We paid $300 for a kayaking trip in a river in Manuel Antonio - two hours of searching for animals - a black mass on the bank that the guide claims is a rolled-up snake, a gray spot scratching on the top of a distant tree that the guide was thrilled about because sloths sleep 18 hours a day and we were lucky to see it scratching, some monkeys jumping between the trees. In between, Mati complains that he hates the kayak, we complain about Micha who makes too much noise with the paddles. In short, it was worth every moment.

A moment later, in the parking lot by the airplane restaurant - a sloth on a tree above the car, or on the way home, dozens of monkeys running on the phone wires. One tiny one, who hasn’t learned to balance yet, or at the beach iguanas scurrying around us.

Yesterday, Mati and Micha actually surfed, with a guide. Finally, they justified the nickname attached to them in childhood - surfers (with emphasis on the 'G'). Ofri still doesn’t know how to swim but is flying on the wave with his boogie board. I'm a bit jealous, but mostly supportive! Maybe the injury will pass soon and I'll learn too.

There's still plenty more, but I feel like I rambled way too much this time. Maybe next time a guest column

Runs, sugar, smoking, etc. - check, a book and a half check, plenty of arguments in the car - check, a sharp challenge - check

See you next week.