Snaps to Our Alumna

We were first alerted about this poem, written by alumna Kayla Blau, by her trip staff. Kayla shared this poem inspired by her June, 2013 Israel Outdoors trip in her trip’s Facebook group and her staff immediately shared with us.  Thank you Kayla for letting us publish this piece..

We arrived on metal birds, wandering birds ourselves, weaving separate pasts with current stimulus to intertwine ourselves through conscious conversation, flocked in our sameness, intrigued by our difference, sharing stories and theories and processing choices together, holy growth. Through all of you this was gained, slow down, stay still.

Breathe into yourself, your passions, root yourself despite the chaos, the overload, the rush, find beauty in your own indecision, the answer to all your questions is smothered by your fear, stay still. Streams of consciousness tight roping between action and reaction, soul and ego, anxieties and resiliency, wants and needs, pride and forgiveness, stay still. Push yourself so far out of your comfort zone stagnation doesn’t even know how to get there, stay still. Meander around the corners of your mind. Get comfortable there it is your home, stay still. Wilted tress only grow new branches, go back to your roots, sift through what strengthens you, what propels you, nurture it with all you have. We are all suspended here, ultimate timeless reality, toda mishpacha, toda Israel.