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Shabbaton
Friday night after dinner and services and usually some teaching, we have a singalong. Usually everything sung is at least one of: a Hebrew song, a folk song from the 60s, or an easy song whose lyrics are in the songsheets or Rise Up Singing. This year there was a second guitarist (so my rabbi didn't have to do it all) who brought his own musical preferences. So there were a lot of songs from the 40s, and I found they really didn't resonate for me at all. I wonder if today's college kids feel the same way about the music of the 60s as I do about the music of the 40s.
My rabbi always prepares a bunch of material for study, more than we ever get to. This might be the rabbinic equivalent of the Jewish mother: heaven forbid we should run out of food, so cook twice as much as you need. :-) (To be clear: I'm not complaining, and I would probably do the same thing in his place.) This year I perceived that he had not gone so far as he usually does, and I think he was also more relaxed. Some years it feels like everybody else gets to rest on the shabbaton but he doesn't; this year I think he did too. Whatever changed, I hope we can keep it.
There was an amusing glitch in communications with the campground. We're not sure how this happened, but as we were eating lunch someone came in to tell us that the climbing wall would be ready for us at 1:30. Climbing wall? Someone apparently thought we'd booked a climbing wall. We always have some unscheduled time at the shabbaton and this was during it, so a few people went and reportedly had fun (and no one broke anything). Since the description of the facility did not include big piles of fluffy pillows, I decided to pass. :-) (Actually, I don't think I'd be uncomfortable climbing up; it's getting back down that would bother me.)
I get different things out of the shabbaton each year -- sometimes the learning stands out, sometimes the prayer, sometimes other things. This year what stood out is the connection with the other people in the group. There were a few people there who I don't know well, and I got to know them a little better. And with everyone, it felt like we were all there for the same thing and people cared about each other. It was neat.
In a "small world" moment, as we were driving out at the end we drove past an archery range, and one of the people I was riding with said if he'd known he'd have brought his bow. So we talked about archery at one point, and in the process I mentioned the SCA, and he said "do you know Gwilym?". Heh. They were coworkers for many years.
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I'm a little worried, because the explanations I've heard seem to sound like great fun for extroverts. But I love this parish, and it's a good chance to meet people, so I'll just do my best to figure out when I need to retreat from the retreat and just do it.
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-- Dagonell
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