[img]96|left|||no_popup[/img] Dateline Jerusalem — Attitude is what counts. I spent most of my life as a pessimist, always thinking the worst would happen. When it did, I convinced myself that as a good Girl Scout I had been prepared for it. Since moving to Israel four years ago, I have become an optimist, looking at the bright side of a situation. The Hebrew word “shalom” means “peace.” My soul has been at peace living here.
Israel has a calming effect on me. Perhaps it is the knowledge that Hashem (G-d) is present, watching over His people. Perhaps it is the incredible beauty of this country that creates serenity. Perhaps it is just that my outlook on life has changed. The immigration-to-Israel process of “aliyah,” which literally means “going up” or “ascent,” has been a “rising up” of my attitude on life.
Although Israel has the lowest unemployment rate in several years with a flourishing economy, I have been out of work for months. Instead of bemoaning the lack of employment, I am enjoying some benefits of not having a job. I no longer have to travel 4 1/2 to 5 hours a day to work and back. I now have time to go to doctors and have become a compliant patient for a change. I have broadened my religious education by attending shiurim (lectures) and discussions, and seminars during daytime hours. I have been able to take care of important errands, like going to the bank, which is closed on my only day off of Friday. I am able to shop at the butcher shop, the bakery, the fruit and vegetable store and the local market instead of trying to juggle them all in the few hours of the day when I was not working. I have participated in charity events, attended book fairs, and have had relaxing coffees and lunches with friends. Best of all, I have been able to concentrate on learning the Hebrew language so that I will no longer considered an idiot!
What Opened My Eyes
Although to some it seems as though I have viewed life here through rose-colored glasses, if you ask me how I am, I will tell you the truth. If I have aches or pains I will say so. If you ask me about safety, I will tell you that I do not mind when my purse is checked and I must go through metal detectors. However, I do mind when I am obtrusively searched at airports in the U.S. The difference is that security is a way of life in Israel. Everyone goes through it. But the random illogical and demeaning searches in the U.S. of grandmothers like me instead of those who fit the profile of terrorists, irks me.
As I walk through my neighborhood, I focus on the minute details of G-d's creation. The park next to my apartment building has giant palm trees with hundreds of bunches of unripened dates waiting to dry out and drip the sweet tasting “honey” mentioned in the bible of this “land of milk and honey.” The other trees have red, orange, and yellow blossoms sitting atop their green fern-like leaves, shading the benches of chatting senior citizens and the brick pathways of the park. In the old days, I probably would have walked through a park ignoring the beauty before me. How good it is that Israel has opened my eyes and I am finally able to see life in all its splendor.
L'hitraot. Shachar.