A benefit of having only one car in Israel

For the most part, owning (and being able to afford) only one car in Israel stinks! It's a daily organizational challenge to figure out who needs the car more and for how long. Who can take the bus? Or who can walk to where he/she needs to be?

Since I am the regularly appointed parent to take children to doctors and other appointments, do the grocery shopping, the banking, and the other errands a stay-at-home Mom needs to accomplish in a day, I usually get the car, and Ari takes the bus into Jerusalem. He then walks or takes a cab to his office.

Somedays I have nothing planned on the calendar, and there is no reason for Ari not to take the car.

Today was one of those days.

I walked to and from my water aerobics class here on the yishuv, and then at 1:20 PM walked to pick up Ely from gan.

The best part of not having a car is having to walk to pick up Ely. It's not always the walking to gan that is so great - especially on days like today when it is really hot and I'm unusually tired - it's the part where I get to walk back from gan holding her hand that I love!

Usually as I'm walking there, I get one of my "I live in Israel" reality moments. I notice the Jerusalem stone on the homes, or hear someone speaking hebrew.

Then Ely runs to me at the door of her gan and we start our 10 minute walk back home. I think of holding her hand as a gift. It's so small and sweet. She usually rattles on about this or that, telling me stories of something that happened in gan that day. She asks me questions, giggles and skips. It is 10 minutes that I know someday will not be there. (Although I must admit, my big girls still grab for my hand when we are walking together!) It is a gift of time and love.

So on the days that I have no car to run to the grocery last minute or to the doctor for a forgotten appointment, I remember that on that day I get to walk home holding my daughter's hand - and nothing else matters!