top ten list, spiritual

1. New York City, New York, 1956

huddling in a corner when my infant brother comes home, I experience alone-ness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Central Park West, New York City, 1963

skipping through mounds of crisp autumn leaves, I experience mortality

 

3. Brandeis University, Waltham, 1970

rolling down a summer green hill, I experience wonder

 

4. Jutland, Denmark, 1971

psychedelically altered on Easter morning, I experience at-one-ness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Jerusalem, Israel, 1971

watching “The Fixer,” Joel explains the history of blood libel and European anti-Semitism to me, I experience belonging

 

6. Museum of Modern Art, New York City, 1980

sitting in front of “Guernica,” I experience transcendence

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Greensboro, North Carolina, 1987

attending back-to-back Springsteen concerts, I experience full-ness

 

8. Princeton, New Jersey, 1992

facing the impossibility of biological parenthood, I experience desolation

 

9. Princeton, New Jersey, 1995

praying, I hear a soft voice telling me to take care of others. I experience immanence, then rebellion

 

10a. Guatemala City, Guatemala, 1999

holding my infant daughter, I experience a leap of faith

 

10b. Ramallah, West Bank, 2010

traveling with students, I hear them intelligently discuss politics and religion, I experience gratitude