Near the Kineret

I know I said I wouldn't be able to check in until after Shabbat, but my super fear of thievery kicked in as I was packing this morning and I decided to bring my laptop with me.

I woke up this morning at 7:12 so I would have just enough time to get dressed, finished packing, and eat breakfast by the 8:00 bus departure.  Though eleven out of the thirteen of us got there at or before 8, the remaining two didn't show up until 8:30.  Lame! Once everyone was present and accounted for, we embarked on a three-hour journey to the Kineret area. 

We started our day on a hike called Meshushim Springs, which began with a steep incline full of lovely switchbacks and ended at a beautiful water spring where many of our group members took the opportunity to take a swim.  Truthfully, as inviting as the water looked I was nowhere near hot enough after only a few simple switchbacks to take off my hiking boots and get in the water.  So I enjoyed the beautiful spring from a rock on the side with a couple of my friends.  We headed back up to the bus, led by our tour guide Moshe (who does, in fact, walk with a staff), and landed in the parking lot after a good twenty-five or so minutes of hiking upwards.  As grueling as it sounds, it really was not that hardcore and I wished it could have been more difficult.  But, it was beautiful and enjoyable so there were little to no complaints all around.  We had a quick and delicious schnitzel, tuna, or turkey sandwich lunch on some shaded picnic benches by the parking lot, and headed to another hike thereafter.  Despite the fact that the bus ride between hikes was only about fifteen minutes, I managed to doze off due to my complete and utter exhaustion as of late.  I woke up when we got there to the wonderful sound of our bus driver’s choice of “destination song” Hevenu Shalom Alechem.  And yes- it is played each and every time we get off the bus, regardless of the length of the ride. 

The next hike was called the Majsarah river hike, which took us through one of the four rivers that end in the Kineret.  And by ‘through,’ I really do mean that the entire hike was in a river.  Cool, I know.  The one and only problem I had with this magnificent river hike was that I do not own a pair of Keens, Tevas, or shoes of that sort, so I had to wear my Old Navy flip flops.  Let me be the first to tell you that they are not the footwear of choice when maneuvering over and around big slippery bruise-causing rocks.  They definitely landed me between a rock and a hard place, in the most literal sense. Regardless of the major shoe difficulties I managed to thoroughly enjoy my time in the Majrasah river, and managed to escape with only 40% of my toes bruised.

We loaded the bus and headed to our final destination: Tiveria.  Thank goodness we were given about an hour and half to relax in our hotel rooms, because Lord knows I would have passed out mid-activity without it.  Unfortunately though, Hotel Berzik is something I like to call Ir Chipush- Bug City.  In other words, every nasty bug in the entire holy city of Tiveria is actually staying in this exact same hotel this weekend.  I know, so kind of the hotel staff to give us a welcoming crew.  But actually? Disgusting.  We are supposed to sleep here tonight and tomorrow night, and I don’t foresee much of that actually taking place on this nasty mattress.  I abandoned all covers and carefully inspected, shook out, and again inspected the singular blue sheet which is currently on the stain-covered, baby-sized mattress.  Lovely, I know.

On a more positive note, dinner was incredible! They took us to a steak house called El Rancho, and after devouring the delicious variety of salatim (salads) and my most favorite spread- Matbucha- I enjoyed a crunchy and incredible piece of Schnitzel with fries on the side.  After our dinner we headed to the grave-site of Rabbi Meir Ba’al Ha’ness to pray Arvit—a custom a really find quite strange.  It took me a definite chunk of time to move past the fact that tens, if not a couple hundred, of Israelis were eating, dancing, and partying in the street outside of the grave-site, and it took me an even longer chunk of time to internalize the fact that everyone was praying towards the coffin as opposed to towards Yerushaliam.  In my opinion it was a bit too weird, and totally not for me.  

We headed to the Pier of downtown Tiveria and had two hours of free time, which I spent walking around and sitting on big boulders in the Kineret with three of my friends.  When free time was over we all met up and walked back to our conference room in the hotel for a brief movie about 9/11 and midnight Selichot to follow. Then, finally, we were dismissed for the night to head back to our very own Bug City.

Wish me luck in my sleeping endeavor!

Also, check out my little tribute to my favorite place on earth. . .

Boxers of Cappy's Boxing Gym,

The inspiration, motivation, and warm family-atmosphere that leaks out of Cappy's Boxing Gym ferments into the pit of each client's stomach, and molds into a supercharged magnet; always pulling back to the humble red building on 22nd and Union.

What about this shy building could possibly cause such an internal raucous of affection and addiction?

Upon stepping up through the firm wood doorway and into the gym, the first factor is immediately recognized as you are greeted by name. And just like that a personal connection with at least one coach has been established even before any shoes have been laced, wraps have been wrapped, bells have rung, or jump ropes have slapped the floor.

The second component to the totally unique feeling brought on by Cappy's can be recognized once your workout has begun. Whether the comment directed towards you in each 3 minute round is of an encouraging or corrective nature, it is sure to channel the immediate appreciated feeling into strengthening the mid-gut magnet.

The final piece to completing the Cappy's puzzle can be found most often in a 6:15, 8:30, or 11:30 class, but occasionally in the evening as well. In my opinion, it is a completely different experience when one of the coaches is working out in the same class as you are. Putting aside the one blessed person whose name is called out to be partners with the coach, alleviating a serious load of anxiety resting on everyone else's shoulders, watching from a far distance as the coach partakes in the same drills as the rest of the class is something rather inspirational. For me, the fact that these coaches so wholly believe in and are dedicated to the work they do at Cappy's finds a way to push me to complete more mountain-climbers or rapid-fire punches than I ever thought to be physically possible.

So when I look over the log that I kept of hours spent working out at Cappy's between July 6th and September 7th this summer, it comes as no surprise to me that it totaled just under 80 hours-equaling a most wonderful 19% of my summer. Aside from the large smile that each class put on my face, and the friends I looked for each time I stepped into the gym, I would like to recognize that among other things, I gained both internal and physical strength, a better understanding of myself, and a new kind of confidence.

I want to thank each of the 5 coaches for providing me with different types of encouragement and guidance in both my workouts and my life. I could not appreciate more the level of comfort which I have continuously felt at Cappy's since I first walked in the gym door in 2007, and I know that you 5 coaches are the reason for it.

From the bottom of my heart: Thank You.