Waiting for the sun...
In yeshiva, the classic excuse for "where were you at minyan this morning?" was, "I davened Vatikin (at sunrise)." Well, today I really did get up early, and here's the documented proof. (Good thing I had a few minutes extra for a photo op right before Shmone Esrei!)
Last night I went to bed at about 9:30, the earliest I can remember ever lying down without feeling sick or exhausted. But here, I am working on changing around my schedule to be more in line with nature. One of thge things that fascinated me when I first got here was how totally different day and night times are- like different worlds. During the day, it is bright and happy, you go out and work in thei fields, you are cognisent of what is going on around you. At night, you barely leave the house, except to go to the beit midrash, its cold, and you are much more vulnerable to uncertainty. (Now I have an even greater appreciation for the verse in tehillim, "to tell your kindness in the morning, and your emunah at night. At night, all we have is the memory of the day's kindness, as we wait for the sun to rise once again.) In any case, I've decided I want my waking hours to be as much light as possible.
One thing I've also noticed is that the lower comfort level I have here- cold sleeping conditions, fewer gadgets, no microwave, slower telecommunications- is doing a lot of good for my soul. With less comfort to cling to, I am eager to do, to help, to connect to Hashem. In general, I feel like I am finding wellsprings of inner strength that I never accessed before. And that is why I am here...
Last night I went to bed at about 9:30, the earliest I can remember ever lying down without feeling sick or exhausted. But here, I am working on changing around my schedule to be more in line with nature. One of thge things that fascinated me when I first got here was how totally different day and night times are- like different worlds. During the day, it is bright and happy, you go out and work in thei fields, you are cognisent of what is going on around you. At night, you barely leave the house, except to go to the beit midrash, its cold, and you are much more vulnerable to uncertainty. (Now I have an even greater appreciation for the verse in tehillim, "to tell your kindness in the morning, and your emunah at night. At night, all we have is the memory of the day's kindness, as we wait for the sun to rise once again.) In any case, I've decided I want my waking hours to be as much light as possible.
One thing I've also noticed is that the lower comfort level I have here- cold sleeping conditions, fewer gadgets, no microwave, slower telecommunications- is doing a lot of good for my soul. With less comfort to cling to, I am eager to do, to help, to connect to Hashem. In general, I feel like I am finding wellsprings of inner strength that I never accessed before. And that is why I am here...
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