Asheville, NC – If it flies direct to a cool city out of one of our local airports and it is priced well, book it! Punta Gorda airport is host to Allegiant Airlines which does fly directly to Asheville, N.C. It’s an easy drive, park and fly experience. Our mission was to celebrate Noah Rudman’s (our “adopted” son) 60 day sobriety mark.  (See Shabbat Playlist #39.) He experiencing many victories: staying the course, attending NA meetings (4 a week), acquiring a sponsor, applying and obtaining employment, applying and being accepted to AB Tech, showing up to classes and completing assignments, learning how to communicate easier, staying connected with us, and wanting and learning how to navigate the sober world.

Steve, my husband, explains it best. Each of us are handed a set of luggage at birth. Some of us have a carry on such as a backpack that stores easily under the seat or in the overhead; others have to check in at the counter as it is oversized; then there is the luggage that is over the weight limit while others travel through life with a full set of Samsonite luggage that they must drag around. Noah came with the full set of luggage which can make life really cumbersome, erratic, and very difficult to navigate. While he has many more hurdles to either go around or meet head on, he is practicing being present with the support from Next Step and my colleague, Susan Stader. As an educational consultant, my network outreach is expansive, and Steve and I are so glad that Noah called us March 29 to ask for help. Yes, there is a backstory, but he called and he is trying one day at a time. He is beginning to unpack his luggage and leave some of it behind.

So, while Noah worked his shift at a local restaurant on Friday night, we began the Shabbat at a restaurant called Calypso where the logo “Welcomes Us Home.” It is definitely “Asheville’s Hotspot for Exotic St. Lucian Caribbean Cuisine & Island Craft Cocktails.” As Islanders, we were naturally drawn to it. Just check out the menu. Esther Joseph, proprietor of Calypso, gave us a royal foodie experience, and somehow we had all the props of Shabbat: blessings for the wine (ginger beer), challah (dasheen chips) and the candles (already on the table), and each other. Who could ask for anything more? Let’s just say, “We will be back.”

Steve and I also broke our Air B&B virginity. We stayed in a lovely home in a neighborhood on the westside of Asheville that filled with gardens and had easy access to local restaurants such as the Universal Joint and Nine Mile and stayed busy helping Noah shop for clothes at Plato’s Closet, hiked Hard Times Loop Trail, checked at the Asheville Jewish Community Center and Temple Beth Israel where we connected with Rabbi Joshua Goldstein.  As the sabbath wound down, we enjoyed ourselves at the Laughing Seed Cafe in downtown Asheville which boasts the best lemonade ever sipped, and it’s all true!

The Laughing Seed is a vegetarian restaurant that convinces you to go vegan with entrees such as Spinach Pesto Manicotti or the Laughing Seed Salad. This spurred much conversation regarding reversing health ailments such as heart attacks. Steve and I are currently in the process of veganizing ourselves.

It was a sweet Shabbat. Noah is embracing his reset on life and we are embracing him. Steve headed back to Sarasota while headed to Washington, D.C. for the School Connections Workshop! It was a sweet Shabbat!