One Year Back in Israel: Chasing the Next Adventure & What I’ve Learned

Hey guys! Hope you’re all doing well.

I wanted to take a moment to share some reflections on this past year—moving back to Israel, navigating the ups and downs of settling in, and the deeper questions of what it truly means to feel at home.

One Year Back in Israel:  Still adjusting…but making it home.

Still figuring out where the best place is to buy groceries. Still re-adjusting to the very different Israeli mentality. Still emotionally navigating being part of a community that has been through so much in the last year and a half.

Moving is Hard and Finding Your Groove Takes Time

Moving is such an interesting thing. I feel like It takes at least a year to begin acclimating to a new place, and even longer to begin feeling like you belong. There’s always this phase of feeling like you're in between two worlds and that means dealing with a great deal of unknowns.

After living in NYC for a number of years, we traveled for six months in Mexico, Central and South America.  We were sleeping in a new bed every few nights, meeting new people, eating different foods. Nothing was what I was used to. I adjusted to not having my own place or my own things.  I got used to not feeling attachment to places, to things, to daily routines.  Instead of this lifestyle being unsettling or even scary,  it was actually liberating. It made me feel empowered like I could go anywhere in the world and make it work. I wasn’t tied to anything. I was light, flexible… flowing. 

And then we moved back to Israel. Back to my husband's kibbutz. Things still feel pretty momentary. We don’t really have a place of our own. We’ve been subletting a house that belongs to friends who needed a break from Israel after October 7th. We don’t really have a place of our own. Their return date is unknown, and that uncertainty has been working for us. We have no furniture of our own, no kitchen appliances—just two suitcases each. And for a while, that felt fine. My “home” was where my husband was, where my computer was and where my work was. All good…until something shifted.

Avoiding Commitment vs. Finding Home

At first, this life with no real attachments felt freeing, but over time, I started noticing something else. I wasn’t just avoiding attachment to a place—I was avoiding commitment to the experienceof being here. I wasn’t really settling in. I wasn’t making this house, this kibbutz, or even this country feel like home again. Instead, I kept looking for the next thing. The next adventure. The next way out.

And then came the bigger questions: What about family? What about kids? I want those things… but how does that desire fit into this “always being able to move, chasing the next thing, never settling” mentality? How do I build something real and stable while still holding onto the freedom that has become so much a part of me?

I don’t have the answer yet. But I do know that part of my need for “freedom”  is a fear of feeling stuck. A fear of committing to one place, one way of life, one version of the future. I worry that choosing one path will mean closing all the other doors.

Being Present Instead of Searching

And honestly, it seems that this fear isn’t just mine. It’s part of the world we live in today. I see it with my clients, my friends, and really, to some degree, with anyone living a Western lifestyle.

Many of us live in an age of endless options. We can move countries, change careers, and even switch relationships more easily than ever before. We’re conditioned to always look for something better—more money, a nicer apartmen… a more beautiful life. But in chasing that “more”, we often forget to fully experience what we have right now.  I oftentimes feel guilty of this.  Even while traveling, I’d constantly think about the next destination, the next place we’d go. And in doing that, I sometimes missed the magic of where I already was.

I still have this in me—the need to feel like I always have an escape, like I can always choose something else. But I also know that just like mindfulness teaches us to be present in each moment, the real challenge—the real greatness—is in fully being where you are.

Yes, you can always change. Yes, you can always strive for more. But maybe the secret isn’t in constantly searching—it’s in realizing that right now, this is exactly where you’re meant to be.

And when you fully land in the present, something amazing happens. You settle in. You feel at home. You create.  Paradoxically, that feeling of being grounded is what allows you to move forward and evolve in the most natural, aligned, and authentic way.

No fear. No feeling of missing out. Just trusting that the most important moment I have, the moment in which I am truly meant to be …is the one I am in right now.

Embracing Here and Now

So for now, my goal isn’t to plan the next move or search for the next adventure—it’s to find peace right here. I know that at any moment, we could pack our bags and shift our lives in a completely new direction. But instead of always looking ahead, I’m choosing to focus on fully being here, fully embracing this chapter, fully grounding myself in this place and this time…and fully allowing myself to feel like I am home.

I’m excited about what here and now will bring into our lives. And when the time comes for our next adventure, I want to step into it with a deep sense of peace knowing I will be fully present for it as I was with my previous journeys. 

MUVwell Hack of the Week: Plan Your Movement

Most people who struggle to stay consistent with movement have one thing in common—they don’t have a plan. Without a structured approach, it’s easy to jump between workouts, second-guess yourself, or lose motivation.

This week, take a moment to map out your movement. Whether it’s scheduling three Pilates sessions, committing to daily mobility work, or following an on-demand program, having a plan is half the battle.

Set yourself up for success—your body thrives on consistency!

With a wish of wellness,

Liron