It Was Fate

This week we went to the shook. I have been there many times, but this time was special. I was finally there with friends and it was also on a Friday morning; aka the time people last minute shop for everything they need on Shabbat. It's a completely different atmosphere. Usually it isn't that crowded and you can go along the shook and go in and look for what ever you see. This time if you were shopping, you have to shop for a purpose. The walkways are so crowded and you are bumping into everything and everyone. I was with two of my really good friends from the trip and we first made a list of everything we wanted and when we finished we took off. We practically flew threw all of the people dodging guys bringing more strawberries to their stands and women barreling down the sidewalk with their kids in their strollers trying to get olives for Shabbat dinner. There was a stand of Orthodox men trying to sell tefillin and showing men how to wrap them. There was also one man, with his black silk robe and black velvet kippah with a top hat on top with his payis hanging down, who was standing in the middle of all of the chaos just playing Jewish songs. Those are the moments when I am so proud to be in this country; it's when I feel the most at home.

My friends and I got strawberries, olives, elephant pants, a cute sweatshirt, AMAZING FOOD (they literally only serve carbs on the kibbutz), and I got Naot (really comfortable sandals). I will tell you the story of how my Naot picked me. When I walked into the shoe store, all I saw was three huge walls filled from floor to ceiling with shoes and a little old man standing in the middle of everything. I was just looking at all of the shoes when my friend called me over to one pair. She told me I had to get them even before I saw them. I walked over to what she was pointing at and I saw them. There data pair of Naot in the style I wanted and they had my name written on the box.,"S. Barbara" , and they were in my size too. I had to get them. Since I am in the holy land I took the sandals as a sign. Maybe they will bring me good luck or something. I bought the shoes from the little old man. He gave them to me for 130 shekels cheaper than my friends got them for when we were at a mall the week before. As I paid him all the little old man could say was, God bless you and may you have great health. I am so grateful I could make some one that happy and I even got myself a pair of shoes out of it.