Day Four:
Today, we got up early in Netanya (we always get up early…)
When we rode out of the kibbutz and the weather looked bad. I have never had to ride in the rain and I thought today might be the day...but alas, worried readers, it was not.
We had climbs that day and I was having nightmares we would be riding into headwinds AND rain (like last year)
I had my big fall in the morning on a dirt path. I was not clipped in because the people in front of me stopped. But, when I went to put my foot down, I got caught on my clip and pulled myself down to the ground. It was sort of funny. I fell hard and wanted to just lie there for a second. Everyone riding by stopped to ask what was wrong. Avi came up and said, "Rachael, Rachael, talk to us-what did you do? What hurts?" in his heavy Israeli accent. He was worried so I got up.
I rolled over and said, "I fell!" And that I had skinned my knee and my elbow. Dave the medic came up and looked at it and proceeded to wipe the dirt out of my open wound. AAHHH!!! At this point, I sprang to action and began trying to fight him off (this was all in play and good fun since I was fine). Dave then picked me up by my good leg and began holding me upside down.
We all laughed. Dave then asked if I wanted a band aid and I laughed more because when Matt had done the same thing a few days earlier, Dave had refused to give him one. I refused to take one. Too proud for antibacterial stuff!
In the morning, I rode with Neil a great deal.
At one point, we were left behind with Dave, Itai and Zvi and no one knew which way to go. Finally we were found and caught up but being left behind did not feel so great. We had fun together though, being silly about it-which-you have to do…I mean, what else is there in that moment other than to laugh at it, wait until you know where to go and go? I was anxious to get rolling but the whole situation was pretty ridiculous. I mean, we were with the experts and they did not know where to send us!
Then we began to climb and I was riding with Neil and Karen. I had such a great time with the 2 of them. The climbing was hard but we stuck together. We hit the off road section and Neil's chain fell off his bike as we began climbing. I stopped and waited for him. It was a cool moment to feel strong enough in the middle of a climb be able to wait for someone else, to feel committed to someone else to wait, to have him be thankful for not having to climb alone and that I did not have to climb alone either.
So, we climbed these hills-some of the impossibly steep (hence-more pictures of me walking my bike up hills. We climbed up to lunch at the top of some beautiful look out place. Plus, we were just south of Ben Gurion Airport so we were treated to quite a how at lunch with the airplanes landing.
Howie took silly pictures of me standing and announcing the evening activity as these HUGE planes flew overhead and no one could hear me.
Claire’s knee was kicked at that point and she rode in the car the rest of the day-poor girl. It sucked but she took it in stride. She seemed to know that she needed to rest and so she rested. I took Claire’s bandana so some part of her would make it the whole way
Neil, Karen and I kicked the @#%!* out of those hills up to Yozma
The last hill was really long and as we rode up, I was looking at each person and thinking about what I knew about each of them and what they were struggling with-Jean, for example, who could not train at all because of her hurt shoulder-who walked her bike sometimes-but who kept on going and kept on going. Each person was there for a reason and to wrestle with something and I sat back and watched as it was happening and it was a beautiful thing to see
We climbed and climbed into the late afternoon and rolled up to cheering pre school-ers at Congregation Yozma who gave out card stock medals to everyone
Jean and I went to the bathroom and as I stood and waited for her, the kids came to meet me. I was talking with a whole bunch of three year olds-one little boy asked me in Hebrew, who are you? And I told him. Then he asked who was in the bathroom. And I told him. Then he asked, is she making kakki? I told him I did not know but he could ask her when she came out and I laughed and laughed because he was so sweet and earnest in his curiosity
While I waited, I was standing in front of a mirror at 3 year old height so I had a good look at my legs which were pretty messy-cut, bruised, scraped…it felt great!
They had a little ceremony for us and then there was an optional ride from Yozma to Neve Shalom
I did not even think twice about doing it-OF COURSE! I rode the extra
I was so excited and impressed with Karen because she came too and I did not think she would. She is pretty incredible. I really admired her commitment and her ability to push herself hard.
As we left Yozma, my camelback leaked all over the back of my shirt so I threw it in the back of Dave’s tractor and then was without food or water-but I knew it was not a long ride. Brian actually took it and threw it in the back of the tractor for me which was super kind of him.
We rode and rode up some long big hills. Coming down one of them, I realized that I needed to ride alone for a minute and for about three seconds, as I rode down that hill, I had a clear vision of exactly who I am. That I am a balance of many things; that I can be both giver and taking, stronger and weaker, for my self and for others…And I sang-I do not remember what I sang, but in memory it feels like that version of psalm 150 I like so much…this Monday when I was in shul and we sang it, I closed my eyes and I was there again on that hill… I cannot remember exactly how it felt, but I remember that I felt it and it felt pure.
The last bit was straight up into Neve Shalom and some pretty rough terrain-very steep. I was riding up one section and I could not get my bike to shift out of the middle into the granny gear. I was working so hard to get up this hill!! And I was laughing because it was ridiculously hard. But I did it!!
Near the top, I was going too slowly and had to step off my bike but was still clipped in and almost-but did not-fell. I found that whenever I was falling, I began screaming and shouting-no, no, no!! I refused the gravity and I refused the fall until I stayed standing. I was in front of 2 jeeps full of military guys so I was extra happy I had not wiped out there.
I made it the whole way with some great climbers. As long as I kept going it was fine-stopping hurt my knee terribly so whenever we had a break, I tried to just keep rolling around in little circles just to keep things moving. It got to be much easier doing that.
We finally made it to Neve and we were EXHAUSTED!! (well, I was!) I took a luke-warm shower (feh!) and then went to dinner which was pretty tasty but not fabulous (good soup though!)
We organized a fun evening program/talent show which was great. Everyone met in the theatre and we all did our various skits and songs. We watched some video on the video projector and the slide show. The whole thing was wonderful-really and I think people really enjoyed.
I did a skit with Michael Loftus about the 10 commandments of the ride. We enacted coming upon a can can of Izoton (energy drink) which was not consumed (held by Howie) someone yelled out, hey Howie, where is your spigot? It was so funny! Michael Snyder then did the Gd voice over and read off the commandments. Oded had everyone write verses to IMPJ to the tune of YMCA.
And then we revealed the Gamad Anaks-Neil was mine-Everyone seemed so excited and pleased with the gamad anak thing! It was fun to watch it be revealed and to feel like we (Ross, Oded and I) had done something wonderful together-I felt like the three of us really contributed to the building of a really cool community
Then we all went to bed
I woke up (as most nights) in the middle of the night to pee several times. Each time I woke up, I tested my knee first to see how it was and it seemed fine every time. At one point, I figured it was not worth going back to bed, but then I checked the time and saw it was 3 am and thought it might be worth it to rest a little bit more… ;)
Today, we got up early in Netanya (we always get up early…)
When we rode out of the kibbutz and the weather looked bad. I have never had to ride in the rain and I thought today might be the day...but alas, worried readers, it was not.
We had climbs that day and I was having nightmares we would be riding into headwinds AND rain (like last year)
I had my big fall in the morning on a dirt path. I was not clipped in because the people in front of me stopped. But, when I went to put my foot down, I got caught on my clip and pulled myself down to the ground. It was sort of funny. I fell hard and wanted to just lie there for a second. Everyone riding by stopped to ask what was wrong. Avi came up and said, "Rachael, Rachael, talk to us-what did you do? What hurts?" in his heavy Israeli accent. He was worried so I got up.
I rolled over and said, "I fell!" And that I had skinned my knee and my elbow. Dave the medic came up and looked at it and proceeded to wipe the dirt out of my open wound. AAHHH!!! At this point, I sprang to action and began trying to fight him off (this was all in play and good fun since I was fine). Dave then picked me up by my good leg and began holding me upside down.
We all laughed. Dave then asked if I wanted a band aid and I laughed more because when Matt had done the same thing a few days earlier, Dave had refused to give him one. I refused to take one. Too proud for antibacterial stuff!
In the morning, I rode with Neil a great deal.
At one point, we were left behind with Dave, Itai and Zvi and no one knew which way to go. Finally we were found and caught up but being left behind did not feel so great. We had fun together though, being silly about it-which-you have to do…I mean, what else is there in that moment other than to laugh at it, wait until you know where to go and go? I was anxious to get rolling but the whole situation was pretty ridiculous. I mean, we were with the experts and they did not know where to send us!
Then we began to climb and I was riding with Neil and Karen. I had such a great time with the 2 of them. The climbing was hard but we stuck together. We hit the off road section and Neil's chain fell off his bike as we began climbing. I stopped and waited for him. It was a cool moment to feel strong enough in the middle of a climb be able to wait for someone else, to feel committed to someone else to wait, to have him be thankful for not having to climb alone and that I did not have to climb alone either.
So, we climbed these hills-some of the impossibly steep (hence-more pictures of me walking my bike up hills. We climbed up to lunch at the top of some beautiful look out place. Plus, we were just south of Ben Gurion Airport so we were treated to quite a how at lunch with the airplanes landing.
Howie took silly pictures of me standing and announcing the evening activity as these HUGE planes flew overhead and no one could hear me.
Claire’s knee was kicked at that point and she rode in the car the rest of the day-poor girl. It sucked but she took it in stride. She seemed to know that she needed to rest and so she rested. I took Claire’s bandana so some part of her would make it the whole way
Neil, Karen and I kicked the @#%!* out of those hills up to Yozma
The last hill was really long and as we rode up, I was looking at each person and thinking about what I knew about each of them and what they were struggling with-Jean, for example, who could not train at all because of her hurt shoulder-who walked her bike sometimes-but who kept on going and kept on going. Each person was there for a reason and to wrestle with something and I sat back and watched as it was happening and it was a beautiful thing to see
We climbed and climbed into the late afternoon and rolled up to cheering pre school-ers at Congregation Yozma who gave out card stock medals to everyone
Jean and I went to the bathroom and as I stood and waited for her, the kids came to meet me. I was talking with a whole bunch of three year olds-one little boy asked me in Hebrew, who are you? And I told him. Then he asked who was in the bathroom. And I told him. Then he asked, is she making kakki? I told him I did not know but he could ask her when she came out and I laughed and laughed because he was so sweet and earnest in his curiosity
While I waited, I was standing in front of a mirror at 3 year old height so I had a good look at my legs which were pretty messy-cut, bruised, scraped…it felt great!
They had a little ceremony for us and then there was an optional ride from Yozma to Neve Shalom
I did not even think twice about doing it-OF COURSE! I rode the extra
I was so excited and impressed with Karen because she came too and I did not think she would. She is pretty incredible. I really admired her commitment and her ability to push herself hard.
As we left Yozma, my camelback leaked all over the back of my shirt so I threw it in the back of Dave’s tractor and then was without food or water-but I knew it was not a long ride. Brian actually took it and threw it in the back of the tractor for me which was super kind of him.
We rode and rode up some long big hills. Coming down one of them, I realized that I needed to ride alone for a minute and for about three seconds, as I rode down that hill, I had a clear vision of exactly who I am. That I am a balance of many things; that I can be both giver and taking, stronger and weaker, for my self and for others…And I sang-I do not remember what I sang, but in memory it feels like that version of psalm 150 I like so much…this Monday when I was in shul and we sang it, I closed my eyes and I was there again on that hill… I cannot remember exactly how it felt, but I remember that I felt it and it felt pure.
The last bit was straight up into Neve Shalom and some pretty rough terrain-very steep. I was riding up one section and I could not get my bike to shift out of the middle into the granny gear. I was working so hard to get up this hill!! And I was laughing because it was ridiculously hard. But I did it!!
Near the top, I was going too slowly and had to step off my bike but was still clipped in and almost-but did not-fell. I found that whenever I was falling, I began screaming and shouting-no, no, no!! I refused the gravity and I refused the fall until I stayed standing. I was in front of 2 jeeps full of military guys so I was extra happy I had not wiped out there.
I made it the whole way with some great climbers. As long as I kept going it was fine-stopping hurt my knee terribly so whenever we had a break, I tried to just keep rolling around in little circles just to keep things moving. It got to be much easier doing that.
We finally made it to Neve and we were EXHAUSTED!! (well, I was!) I took a luke-warm shower (feh!) and then went to dinner which was pretty tasty but not fabulous (good soup though!)
We organized a fun evening program/talent show which was great. Everyone met in the theatre and we all did our various skits and songs. We watched some video on the video projector and the slide show. The whole thing was wonderful-really and I think people really enjoyed.
I did a skit with Michael Loftus about the 10 commandments of the ride. We enacted coming upon a can can of Izoton (energy drink) which was not consumed (held by Howie) someone yelled out, hey Howie, where is your spigot? It was so funny! Michael Snyder then did the Gd voice over and read off the commandments. Oded had everyone write verses to IMPJ to the tune of YMCA.
And then we revealed the Gamad Anaks-Neil was mine-Everyone seemed so excited and pleased with the gamad anak thing! It was fun to watch it be revealed and to feel like we (Ross, Oded and I) had done something wonderful together-I felt like the three of us really contributed to the building of a really cool community
Then we all went to bed
I woke up (as most nights) in the middle of the night to pee several times. Each time I woke up, I tested my knee first to see how it was and it seemed fine every time. At one point, I figured it was not worth going back to bed, but then I checked the time and saw it was 3 am and thought it might be worth it to rest a little bit more… ;)
posted by Rachael M. Bregman at 1:40 PM
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