Kadima!

For those of you who were with me as I wrote my last blog, Lechi Lach, welcome back!  And for those who are brand new, welcome!

My last blog was written specifically for and about a trip I took to Israel where I spent five months living and working on a kibbutz while learning Hebrew and traveling around the country.  The title of the blog was a reference to a statement in the book of Genesis where God tells Abraham to "Go forth" to the land of Canaan (Israel), but the command also has a more existential meaning.  I tried to examine both the literal and personal meanings throughout my journey and I think I succeeded.  As I'm sure you can see on that blog, I had a spectacular time!

Now I'm back in the U.S. to finish my college degree, but my journey isn't over and neither is my writing.  Now, I thought long and hard about what the title of this blog should be, knowing only that I wanted to continue with the theme of Lechi Lach. Finally I decided on "Kadima."  In Hebrew, kadima means "forward" or "onward," which is precisely what I'm doing.  Part diary, part think tank, part verbal canvas, this blog is a repository for my thoughts and experiences as I traverse daily post-Israel-trip life and strive to notice the little things that make it all worthwhile.  You know what I'm talking about; those things we so often ignore.

In addition to the focus of this blog being a little different than my last, I would like to make one other significant change:  reader participation.  I want to encourage more comments from my readers in order to create a sense of dialogue not only with me but with everyone else.  My theme is "thinking" - thinking about things we've never thought to think about before, and in doing so finding beauty; thoughts are so much better when shared, don't you think?

So kadima, onward!  Join me in my thoughts, share yours, and let us strive together to reveal the striking beauty hiding just underneath the dust of the mundane!