Absorbing the Moment

Not only do I live IN the moment, but I absorb it. The sights, the smells, the feelings, they all penetrate my skin and enter my soul. I've done a lot in my lifetime and continue to do things but I never do anything just because it's what others are doing or what you're supposed to do. This goes for my daily life as well as when I'm traveling. My most treasured moments abroad weren't recommended in any guidebook. I guarantee you won't see:

• Spend an afternoon in a random park in Modena, Italy.
• Chop tomatoes for hours on end in a kibbutz kitchen in Israel.
• Sit with friends and eat gyros in a hole in the wall gyro stand in Vrahati, Greece.
• Fly around in a whirlpool in your bra and underwear in Budapest, Hungary.
• Watch the mountains of Jordan change color as the sun sets.
• Travel to Istanbul, Turkey by train with only the clothes on your back, a wallet and a disposable camera.
• Take a spinning class led by a teacher speaking Hebrew in a disco on a kibbutz in Israel.
• Cook lunch with friends in an Italian apartment.
• Do physical labor in a pumpkin field in Israel.
• Ride four wheelers on the island of Corfu with two random guy travelers leading the way down steep terrain.

The list goes on and on...

The point is, none of these moments were a waste. To some, spending an afternoon in a park in Italy would be ridiculous, considering there are so many places to see. To me, experiencing life is never a waste.

My twin sister flew from Los Angeles to visit me in New York this weekend. We were sitting around Friday afternoon trying to figure out how to spend our weekend and my roommate began giving suggestions. To her, my sister was a tourist and HAD to go shopping on 5th Ave., visit the high end restaurants, look at the high class boutiques and check out a few of the museums. We listened to her suggestions, nodded our heads and headed out the door to a poetry slam in the village.

"She doesn't get it." Said my sister. "I'm here to hang out."

• We read at cafes
• Ate cheap and amazingly delicious shwarma (twice)
• Ate lox and bagels (three times)
• Had a pot-luck brunch at my apartment
• Caught up with old friends
• Walked the streets of NYC
• Drank pure dark chocolate cocoa
• Talked and absorbed the time we spent with each other.

Although we didn't step into one high end restaurant or boutique or even visit a single museum, my sister's visit was far from boring and can, in no way, be considered a waste.

I'm not telling you how you should live your life. If high-end shops are your thing or if you've copied down every historical place to see from a guidebook and plan on going to each and every one, go for it. All I ask is that you stop, be aware, be in the moment and absorb it. Do you like what your soul is absorbing?