Christmas Cookies and Red Wine

This past weekend several of my girlfriends and I baked Christmas cookies to help us get into the Christmas spirit. Even though it was probably 70 degrees and sunny that day, I think it worked! Of course, all the cookies were delicious, and after we were done baking a bunch of other people came over to help us eat them. We sat around for hours and talked about things that people should never talk about (i.e. religion and politics). During these sometimes heated conversations that I generally stay out of, I remember looking around at all of the people eating and talking in my kitchen and being so thankful for the opportunity to experience Tel Aviv with them.

On another note, have you ever had those moments when you're walking down the street and something funny pops in your head and you laugh out loud? That happened to me the other day because of a hilarious morning I had. Lev and I were eating breakfast together last week and we were talking about hippies. Lev and his family are Russian, which I am learning is a pretty hard and intense culture. So anyways, we were chatting and he tried to tell me that his parents were hippies. I've heard enough of his stories to know that they are definitely not hippies in the American sense of the word. So I said, "Your parents are definitely not hippies." And he said, "My parents are hippies in the Russian sense of the word. They beat their kids and they hate the environment, but they ride bikes and travel and stuff." At first, Lev didn't know I was laughing because it was one of those silent laughs, so he kept talking. But then when I was bowled over in my chair and tears were coming out of my eyes, I think he got it.

I just laughed out loud again while I wrote that! Awesome. 

I'm seeing more and more that it's the people who make the experience more than anything else. Some of the best moments I've had here are so great because of the friends who were there to share the moments with me. If Tel Aviv has taught me anything so far, it's taught me to really enjoy the present. I think that's because I know my time here is temporary, and I want to get everything out of this experience that I can. But here's the thing: life is also temporary. So shouldn't we all make a point to really live in the present instead of always hurrying to the future?

I think the Christmas season is the best time of the year to start practicing this.