Self-Management Shabbaton!

FRIDAY:

Lindsey and Sarah pose for a picture!

It was amazing seeing everyone after a month apart, but there was a bittersweet feeling that Diller 6 couldn’t shake. After a year together, we have become a family. We began as strangers and turned into life-long friends, and we had come together for the final Shabbaton. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the ridiculous amount of stuff that we thought we needed to bring for a weekend retreat. To Hannah’s surprise and delight, we promptly loaded the bus on time and drove to Fairview Lake for the last time as Diller 6. The drive over was scenic and a great time as always. We exchanged stories about our day-to-day lives and shared memories from our incredible summer in Israel. We arrived at our beloved Wickapeck cabin and jumped into loading our bags off the bus. Everything seemed easy and relaxed. We were all so happy to be together for an amazing final weekend. After we unpacked, we put on our Shabbos best and headed to the CIT lounge for Shabbat services. There, we were served a gourmet meal and given a domestic lesson by none other than our little homemaker herself, Rebecca Cooper. She taught us about formal dinner interactions in different countries and their specific meanings. It was an informative and interesting way to start off Shabbat dinner together. After dinner, Corey lead a workshop about music and how lyrics influence and affect our daily lives. We discovered how music can heal any wound and lift any spirit. Afterwords, we went back to our cabin for a night of fun, conversation, and fighting over who got to hold the Veggie Straws.

A breathtaking image of the Diller 6 cohort.

SATURDAY MORNING:

We began our Shabbat morning with an easy breakfast and a service. For the first time in our history, we had a real Saturday morning service–compared to the frequent alternative services we do–and it was incredibly successful. Eli put our Siddur together, and it was beautiful and personal, so I believe we would all like to thank him for it. It was filled with readings and prayers, so it was engaging and meaningful, and it created a sense of Shabbat in our community. We also had a particularly hilarious parsha of the week, where we acted out the scene of Abraham going to sacrifice his son Isaac with many different accents. Then, in high spirits, we left for a nature walk through the Red Oak Swamp. We got to see some fun stuff, like lighting methane bubbles on fire, and we even got to shake an entire tree (as strange as that sounds, it was actually pretty cool). Then we ended our walk in a separate section of the woods, where all the trees had changed colors, and we were reminded of the beauty of nature, and the peacefulness of Shabbat.  

SATURDAY AFTERNOON: 

Lindsey Max potentially have too much swag.

Seth and Bonder share ahug after a meaningful Havdallah

After a surprisingly delicious lunch of fried chicken, we began the segment of our shabbaton that we do best, free time. At this closing hour of our Diller journey, we value just simply spending time with each other more than anything. Before we are a group of Jews, or a group of leaders, we are a group of amazing friends that can’t seem to get enough of each other. Free time activities included noshing (of course), joking around, and a tad bit of the inevitable homework. By no means is Diller all play and no work, as we regimented part of our free time to work on our tikkun olam projects. It was so exciting to clarify our ideas and turn them into a tangible goal. This may sound corny, but I really felt the skills I learned in Diller come to play while working on the projects. Shortly after, we began our workshop with our resident JC Juliet! Her workshop was about memories that related to our guiding lights, the Diller Pillars. Not only was this a way to recount a lot of meaningful yet comical moments from our journey, but to see what aspects of Diller we really have taken with us throughout the year. We then trecked to the CIT center for dinner time, everyones favorite, mac and cheese. After the meal we dove straight into another stimulating workshop by Annabelle. In this workshop we wrote our biggest fear and our life’s dream on different pieces of paper. As is the Diller way, we discussed how these things made us feel, and how our fears truly do prevent us from doing what we want. As we are released into the world from Diller, it was really important to realize that the only real obstacle we have in front of us, is ourselves.

SATURDAY MA'AGAL: 

Saturday Ma'agal was very special. The committee provided notebooks to each of us and we went around the circle and wrote a personal letter to each of the fellow dillers as well as Leah. They also surprised us with a letter from one of the Israelis. It was SO amazing to hear from our Israelis. But the surprises didn't stop there. Leah had Rachel and Meital write letters to us (even the committee didn't know about this.) A bunch of us cried. It was a very long ma'agal, but worth it. Reading the letters that my fellow dillers was so cool, to think that a year ago we were awkward together and now we are like family is so crazy. I hope Diller 7 experiences that too. Afterwards, we just hung out until the late hours of the morning.

I don't even...

SUNDAY: 

Lauren, Coop, and Eden at the Friendship Circle walk!

Diller 6 shows off their fabulousness in a 
group shot at the Friendship Circle walk!

We had a decent wake-up, breakfast and packing.  We left and headed to the Friendship Circle walk. It was a great opportunity to help out a great cause. 
















We all felt satisfied walking and volunteering to help this amazing organization thrive and raise funds for their new building. Lots of hugs took place and we said our see you laters'.

It happened.