Ready? Let’s get to it.
Friday was a let’s-loosen-up-with-nature-
..until we weren’t as we covered our eyes to pray for the week to come. Shabbat.
There was a tangible energy that snuck in with the Friday night sunset and stuck with us till we said farewell over the Havdallah candle. We connected life lessons to traffic signs. (Personal favorite: The speed bump. When you choose how recklessly to cross it, don’t forget that there are always people in your car. Your choices will always affect the people in your life.) We debated priorities over mike n ikes. We spent the last, precious hour singing Jewish melodies, our voices rising in sisterly unity that climbed and climbed until our voices grew a little raspy and the sky grew sparkly with stars.
Sunday was Mov-Ing day But first, Mall of America. We shopped till we dropped and walked till we talked about anything and everything to everyone we never knew we needed to know. Sunday was barely day three of the program, but by the time we got off the bus at our camp site, we had been friends for years.
Monday was Clay Day and even if I wasn’t actually titled Clay Day, it should’ve been–because it rhymes and we bossed it and whipped those blocks of clay into serious shape. Like cup shape. Or bowl shape. Or any other shape. (Sweet, right?)
Then, we had two instructors join us on site to teach us to work as a team. Like the hula hoop that was perpetually moving upwards till we stepped aside and elected leaders to command each side. Or, the blindfolded trust walk, leading us into a rope maze that forced us to expand our boundaries and discover the spot that clearly spelled freedom if we pushed hard enough. Your comfort zone is the only thing limiting you; if it scares you, you should probably try it. Push your rope a little harder. The world is so much bigger than your safe spot.
We spent Tuesday singing and creating art with some Seniors enrolled in the High School of Life. We bonded. Exchanged stories. Resolved to host them for a picnic before our three weeks are up. 
And now (drumroll) for our unthought of the day: A feeling is just a feeling. Not giving into a feeling does not make you repressed. It does not enslave you to the pressures restricting it. Instead, it frees you from being imprisoned by the fickleness of feeling and gives your mind the jurisdiction to choose between them.
A feeling is not a choice. It is an option, but never a choice. You always have the choice. Raise your voice. Lift your mind above your feeling, but keep your head aligned with your heart.
(Hey, you. That was fun, right? Come back soon. We have so much to share.)