Routine Verses Adventure

                                          In the "Chai" tunnel, where we trellised cucumbers

I like to think I’m living a piece of Gan Eden (Paradise). In an ironic kind of way. Though Adam and Chava (Eve) had everything they needed without necessitating labor, it is working for our food and transportation that creates the feeling of paradise. The excitement of waking up to Avodat Lev, eating breakfast with my cohort, heading out to the field for a full- or half day’s work, and then to the evening or afternoon activity, honey spinning or pickle-making, or learning about Kashrut (Kosher) and kitchen etiquette at the Isabella Freedman.

The singing among community members Friday night after dinner seemed to ring out in the heavens and create a feeling of comfort, love, and joy that would linger through the rest of Shabbos. The 25 hours that separates Shabbat from work was restful, with meals allowing members of our cohort to connect without the stresses of being on time to fieldwork or to a mandatory meeting with the Adamah staff. This coming week promises to bring variety into our schedules- instead of the regular harvesting and weeding, some are headed berry picking, while others, including me, will be going to a pickle workshop in preparation for a retreat to take place at the Isabella Freedman this weekend.

It seems on some level things are going at a quicker pace- now that we know the routine. The bike rides to Beebe Hill are automatic- most Adamah-niks head out five minutes before to make the 8:45 required time. Lunch at noon, cohort meeting on Sundays at 7pm. With scheduling switching up a bit as we get more involved in the program. We often converse during work- about our families and our beliefs; about whether the weeds we are pulling out are enough to allow a particular plant enough space to grow properly; about whether the strings attached to the cucumber plant provide the ability for the cucumber to grow in the right direction.

And then there are the goats- my chore for the week. Feeding, cleaning up their excrement, and visiting these farm animals are one of the highlights of my day. I run out of the house at 7:00 or 7:15am chanting, “Don’t worry goats, I’m coming,” as my peers chuckle at my obsession with these beings- Quark, Zola, Talya, Mozza and Feta, who anxiously await my arrival at the gate.

It’s a world outside of my own- one that, on the one hand, cuts me off from the one I am so used to, and on the other hand, one that I never want to leave. Adamah- it’s one adventure after another. One where I can run, write, sing, take care of animals- one that allows me to do almost everything I yearn in my heart to be a part of in the real world.