Sukkos!!!!!

It's....soooooo.....c-c-c-oooold!

Maybe Israel thinned out my blood, but when I woke up today to discover it was 59 degrees outside, I gasped. And then I gasped again when I got outside...

Short skirt, pantyhose, open shoes.... not enough protection, nooo. I think my toes froze.

It was so great to get out with friends. We went out to eat. Of course, we couldn't decide on a place to eat, so when we finally passed by the same place for like the 4th time (I do exaggerate) we decided to walk in there. It was fuuuuun... and more than I wanted to pay. But I never laughed so hard in my life. Thank G-d for friends... and waiters who can't accurately describe a piece of cake.

Ok I'll admit, we took pictures, but hey, I think the occasion called for it.

The sidewalks were swamped with people. Tables and trucks set up, selling lulavim and esrogim. The cutest was one of those plastic kiddy tables set up, where 3 cute little boys sat, they looked to be around 7-8, and they were selling those ring thingys that people use to bind the lulavim. I had the urge to buy from them just cuz they looked so cute... I guess everyone did, maybe that's why they actually made money.

There was such a fresh feeling in the air. Ya, besides the cold. It was like an excitement, that you can feel. Tangible. It made me giddy. Expectation. Anticipation. I just wanted to laugh out loud, or dance in the street. Sukkos is coming!

I remember when I was young... oh so young. I loved this time of year. Vacation from school, a new dress, sitting in the sukkah, steaming cups of hot cocoa mingling with the frost from my breath. Chilly weather, pulling on the warm coats, and gloves. No worries, or cares in the world.

I remember standing outside my house, having taken a bath, dressed in my new yom tov dress, so proud, at age 7. Watching my father building the sukkah, bang bang bang, and my big brothers helping. They all seemed so old and grown up to me. I loved sitting in the sukkah, because it was such a contrast to sitting inside the whole year. And it felt so cool to be sitting outside to eat. I imagined strangers passing by, wishing they got to sit in my sukkah.

Of course there was chol hamoade to look forward to. The trips we went on, as a family. And simchas bais hashuava... another whole topic on it's own. The people, sooo many of them. Trying to stick close to my older sister, and not get lost in the crush. My father giving me allotted spending money, and me being very careful to use it wisely. Which meant of course, cotton candy, sour sticks, and any other kind of candy that appealed to my eyes.

So happy to have a later curfew, loving the music, which was so loud I couldn't hear my own voice, and believe me, I tried. And wishing it would never, ever end, and dreading going back to school.

So many things are different now. Now, it's the younger siblings that build the sukkah, cuz my father is busy. (I am not gonna even THINK it might be cuz he's getting older.... no, parents are not supposed to get old.) I don't even offer to help, cuz I don't know how to build a sukkah, and my help isn't wanted.

Now that I'm older, and I'm not in school full time, the week before goes by in a blur, and I have to mentally remind myself that sukkos is coming. Oh ya. Maybe I'll go shopping, buy something new... chol homoade, not that exciting. When I was little the best part of it all was coming to school after, and swapping experiences, and what cool trips you went on. But now, I'm happy if I get out of the house at all... Now the feeling is kind of like, let's get this over with so we can get back to real life...

But tonight, in the busy streets of the Heights, I got a little whiff of that feeling again. That carefree, love-for-life and-everyone-in-it feeling, that everything is right, that this is a great time of year, that it's gonna be fun, and everything is gonna be just fine... It was so amazing.

Children have it so simple. But being an adult has it's benefits too.... hey, just realized, no curfew this year!!! Hello, simchas bais.... ooooh ya.....