We spent Shabbat in Tempe, not near Bloemfontein, but rather in Arizona. We mention this as the bulk of our army training took place in that ‘delightful’ town. In fairness, while we would not like to repeat that period, at least any time soon, it was a time of accelerated ‘growing up’. Therefore, we are pleased, not grateful, to have had the experience because in a sense it helped in shaping life.
Our experiences on the Sabbath day are particularly special. We remember one class we attended in which the rabbi said that Hashem expects each of us to work hard during the 6 days of the week so that the seventh will be a true rest day—a contrast. We do feel that each week—we are tired by Friday night, sometimes very tired. Our editor sets a vigorous pace. Being in different environments gives us the opportunity to observe, only superficially we admit, the communities around us. This can be enlightening, amusing and entertaining, at times.
As we enter the home stretch, we based ourselves in Cathedral City which is close to Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, La Quinta…you get the point. Should things pan out as planned, we are expecting a big finish. Today, we hiked towards a mountain, could not find the path upwards and diverted to climbing rocks in a narrow canyon in the desert, for 7 miles. It was an enjoyable and tiring experience but one of our favorite things to do—scaling rocks and a bit of bouldering while thinking our way through and over the obstacles in a unique environment. As we mentioned recently, nothing beats reaching the hand, arm or foot out to support each other—something that is necessary in this type of activity.
We continue to find deserts to be places of special interest. It seems should one want to clear the mind, this is indeed a viable option to choose—the noise of civilization does not extend into these vast open, dry and in their own way, attractive places.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
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