I'm baaaack!

Shalom from Yerushalayim! It has been about 5 months, but I am finally back in Yerushalayim for 3 weeks for my winter break, and nothing could be better. I am so thankful to have the support from my family so I am able to come to Eretz Yisrael so often. I didn't realize how much I needed this trip until I was actually back at Eyaht, but boy oh boy, did I really need this "shot of kedushah".
Being in America, I never actually realized how much I was getting sucked back into the every day secular world of going out, eating out, and doing not-so-kosher things. Although these things may seem small in comparison to things that I used to do, I was still being less holy and tznius than I should have been, and until I arrived back in Israel about a week ago, I did not even realize it. It is SO easy to simply go with the flow, eat that piece of non-kosher pizza, and just rely on the excuse that you're "growing". But it gets to a certain extent where you are stuck, and you're not growing anymore (Gd forbid); you are just holding yourself back. You are giving in to your yetzer hara, and going along with the flow of the non-frum world because it might seem like it is easier at the time. I cannot even believe that it has taken me five months and a plane ride across the world to realize that instead of being back in Bloomington growing, I have been in a constant battle with my yetzer hara, and as hard as this is to do, I will admit that my yetzer hara was winning. So if any of you have ever felt this way, don't feel like you're alone because I've totally been there!
Now that I've come to the realization that I really need to get my priorities in check and do a few things differently at home, even if they are a bit difficult, I feel stronger than ever. I feel empowered and confident that I will be able to overcome my yetzer hara, and as the great Rabbi Miller of Gateshead says, "Make differences where there are differences", and in a wonderful class given by his daughter this week, I learned that this means (I'm sure in a much less elegant way than my teacher gave it over, but I try to do her WONDERFUL teaching justice), when there is spirituality involved, we shouldn't be afraid to be different and make the differences that are necessary to make the spiritual more holy and meaningful.
As the week comes to a close, I hope you are all making differences wherever you are, and may you all have a wonderful and restful Shabbos!