WHY BURNING MAN CAN GET ME PREGNANT AGAIN...!
Noam and I just returned back from one of our favorite getaways: Burning Man. For all not in the know, Burning Man is a super unique annual arts festival that takes place in Black Rock City – a temporary city created in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. Noted by many as an “experiment in community and art,” the secluded festival allows guests to transcend any sense of normalcy experienced in today’s American society and live freely amongst others for a few days, taking advantage of the natural world and becoming centered once again throughout the time on-site. I know that this miniscule explanation does the festival no justice, but it’s truly an amazingly powerful experience one has to have themselves to understand. You may remember that Noam and I went to Burning Man two summers ago, before baby Romi was even born!
At the festival, you are truly separated from the rest of the state, let alone the rest of the country. Burning Man is like a bubble of sorts, and when you are there, the trivial aspects of life seem not to matter. Bunking up in an RV, eating a different palate of food cooked on our own with love outdoors, spending time observing beautiful art…even laying upon the desert ground under the stars. We don’t get this sort of quiet, calm back in New York. It’s a truly special place. And, the friends you meet while there become part of your life after the festival is over. Two summers ago, Noam and I made a whole new group of friends who we still keep in touch with to this day. This last festival, we were also fortunate to meet so many wonderful people who we can’t wait to reconnect with back on the East Coast, but the best of all was- a beautiful burner kid! (and yes, we thought about our kids right away and we have to bring them with us next time...!)
But, do you want to know what my absolute favorite part about Burning Man is? Getting to reconnect with Noam in so many extraordinary ways – it feels like we fell in love again with each other. You know the feeling that I’m talking about, right? At the beginning stages of dating, when everything is new and exciting and you find yourself falling for another person like you never knew you were capable. For these few days, we ultimately had each other to ourselves 24/7. No cell phones or work interruptions were allowed, and the worries and stresses of life were temporarily hidden – this even included natural parental worries about our three children, too.
As they did two summers ago, my parents flew in from Israel to watch Yuli, Ori, and Romi. There are no other people in the world who, when with my kids, allow me to worry less about my babes than my parents. Knowing that my mother and father were there with the kids really allowed Noam and I to shirk any worry about their safety and happiness, only leading us to focus on each other and our relationship even further. Due to the very real lack of cell service out in…the desert… we unfortunately did not have the opportunity to talk to the kids at all on the phone while at Burning Man. We were able to text sporadically, and received messages when we could from my parents, telling us that everything was going smoothly. Parents are a real blessing, if I haven’t said that enough before! I love you, Ima and Abba! I can reiterate enough how at Burning Man, festival-goers really connect and become at one with the earth and their surroundings. Showering happens less often (it is a festival after all), but it didn’t matter one bit. The dust and dirt upon Noam and me made us fall in love with each other even more. We felt at one with nature, and the more we connected with our surroundings (errr, the dirtier and dustier we got!), the more we knew we were really taking advantage of the incomparable experience in the desert, together.
The festival is also so incredibly fun. Forget the connecting and natural aspects of the week for just a minute. How about the crazy clothes we got to wear and the trendy art we were privy to see?! Where else can adults with kids in their 30’s dress up in the wildest of costumes and ride around in the desert, kicking up dust with every move of the wheels beneath them? The freedom to express yourself like no other environment is a crucial aspect of Burning Man. Also, the art displayed for guests was unreal and we felt inspired by every piece we saw. In fact, as mentioned, the whole festival was a piece of art and our inspiration only grew over the course of the week. Prior to physically getting to the camp-site, Noam and I flew to Reno and from there made our way to the desert right after midnight. We decided to hop on a later flight, so we’d have the whole day-of to spend in New York with the kids and my parents, who arrived just the night before. Since my parents are staying in America for a full two weeks, we decided to extend our West Coast excursion by just a little bit, as we’d still be able to spend a full week with them back in New York post-festival. After the 5-day Burning Man experience, we drove the rented RV back to LA (BTW, it was a nine hour drive from the Playa – the center of the Burning Man desert) and decided to spend 48 hours in the City of Angels. The last time I was out in LA was when I was pregnant with Yuli seven years ago, and I was absolutely unbearable back then seeing as I was close to popping out my first baby! You’ll hear more about our mini post-Burning Man trip in LA in a few days, as I just began writing about that, too.
I jokingly came up with the title to this article after feeling so invigorated by the Burning Man experience yet again and so reconnected with Noam, the love of my life. While there’s no baby cooking up in here right now ;), I truly realize the value of taking time to grow our relationship as husband and wife, as a team, and am excited to bring back this rekindled love to New York, only to strengthen it with each passing day. I encourage all mamas, far and wide, to take time to spend with your partner, to appreciate each other, and to fall in love once again. Even if you can’t make it out west to Burning Man, there are daily opportunities to do so. I’ve noticed them more and more since I’ve been back and I’m so grateful for that. Here’s to hoping this inspires you to seek out those moments, too! Neshikot= XX
