July 10th: Last Tango in Tel Aviv

My first photo in Israel - laundry and solar panels to heat water - you see them on almost every building (I remember seeing them on the buildings in Israel 30 years ago - the US is so far behind)

I am staying with my friend Hila, who I first met in India, and then ran into her three times on the street in three different cities. I didn't arrive at her apartment until well after midnight last night. Then Hila, her boyfriend, Assaf, and I stayed up late into the night talking. Today Hila took me to "Tango Night. "

Hila tangoing with Yaniv

Hila tangoing with Shay

Hila tangoing with the guy sittting next to her (everyone wants to tango with Hila)

Hila pretending to tango with me

Yaniv, Hila, Shay and me

While Hila was tangoing with the guy sitting next to her, I said to Yaniv how hard it must be to be the woman, having to anticipate every move from the leading male. "Yea, but the man has to lead," Yaniv replied. "To follow, you just need to learn how to listen."

Except for the word "just," I love that statement. I still believe that "listening" is the more difficult and more valuable skill. It makes me think of my gifted students, who are really good at talking, and are very poor at listening, which is why I started bringing in meditation teachers, doing exercises in personal reflections, I even brought in a specialist in "compassionate listening" to do a workshop with my students. There is no "just" in learning to listen. From my perspective, it is the most important, the most rewarding, and maybe the most powerful skill we can develop (It even enhances your tango dancing skills).