Monday, September 1, 2014

#BlogElul: Today I Shall Try to Be...

When my sister and I were growing up, there was an orange sticker on the inside of the front door at 12 Webster Road that said, "Today I shall try to be kind." It was the last thing we saw before we left the house each morning.

As a New Yorker, I've learned that there's a fine line between being kind and letting the world outside your door ride roughshod over you.  Nonetheless, as 5775 approaches, these are the stickers I'd like to see on the inside of my front door before I leave the house each morning:
Today I shall try to be patient.
Today I shall try to be caring.
Today I shall try to be fair.
Today I shall try to be non-judgmental.
Today I shall try to be fun-loving.
Today I shall try to be flexible.
Today I shall try to be reasonable.
Today I shall try to be a good person.
Today I shall try to be a better person than I was yesterday
Today I shall try to be the best that I can be. 
What will you try to be today?


Inspired by Ima on (and off) the Bima, this #BlogElul post is one in a series marking the days of the Hebrew month of Elul, which precedes the Jewish High Holidays and traditionally serves as a time of reflection and spiritual preparation for the new year.