Radical Acceptance

For this fresh, incoming year, a hope, a small promise to myself, an intention: The waves at the beach threw me off balance today, hurled me salty into the waters, and I decided to laugh, take the salt along with the dear cradling waters, the serenity between crashing waves, the dialectic of calm and astounding, the ride. I decided to ride the rhythms, savour the extremes, accept. Mommy taught me, just this summer. It's waves, she said. Ride them. Yesterday's swim was glorious fun. After summer's warm waters, the cooling of the sea and the return of the big waves come just at the right time, as tonight we pass into a whole new year. We will mark the turning of the year at Kibbutz Beit Alfa, where pomegranates, dates and apples are ripe on the trees just in time for the blessings, May we enter the coming year taking the bitter with the better, the stinger and the honey. May we ride.