Monday, August 31, 2015

#BlogElul 17: Awaken

I'm finally awakening to the fact that it's OK to say "no," OK to leave the office at 5 p.m. to go to a movie that won't be around long, and OK to be good to myself.

Having said that, if you have a chance to see this movie starring Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley, go.

It was 90 minutes of delightful escape this evening...and boy did I ever need it!

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.

Sunday, August 30, 2015

#BlogElul 16: Pray

I seem to recall that one of my blogger friends once wrote a post about the ways that prayer was like exercise. When I Goggled a few different things to try to locate the post, all I came up with was a Huffington Post article by Michael Rossmann, SJ, entitled Everything I Know About Prayer I Relearned in Spin Class.

Not what I was looking for....

Nonetheless, what I remember about the original post is that it loosely compared prayer and exercise, effectively making the case that they are similar in a few key ways:
  1. Both are best done on a regular basis.
  2. Both take practice in order to become proficient.
  3. The more you do them, the easier and more fulfilling they become.
As a regular worshiper, I agree. Having said that, though, I wonder what it is about the High Holidays that prompts others to get up off the couch to do something that must feel like running a marathon without having trained for it.

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.

#BlogElul 15: Change

I've fallen behind in my #BlogElul postings because I changed my Shabbos routine yesterday. I didn't intend to make the change, but it sort of just happened because I overslept. As a result, I missed the minyan, but made it to Torah study.

I spent the afternoon and evening hanging with friends, writing, reading, and drinking iced coffee -- making for a lovely Shabbat. None of these was a big-deal change, though, and I was out of ideas for #BlogElul.

And then this article appeared on the front page of today's New York Times -- and continued for two full pages inside the first section.

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, for creating all of humanity in Your image. Amen.

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.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

#BlogElul 14: Learn

Just as pocket parks -- the small green spaces tucked in alleys and alongside city buildings -- provide small oases of quiet and escape. I am on the lookout for pockets of pleasure to provide respite from the stresses of daily life. I'm learning to find them, and today I found three:
  1. Iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts.
  1. The Accordians Bands Festival in Bryant Park.
  1. Browsing among the Japanese pens and notebooks at Kinokuniya Bookstore.

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.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

#BlogElul 13: Remember

Family vacations and matching paper dresses

Saturdays in Sunnyside

Almond cookies cooling on the window sill

The Waltons, The Electric Company, Guiding Light 

Slide rules, the periodic table, frogs in formaldehyde

Archie Bunker, Maude, Carol Burnett

Gas lines, land lines, hopscotch lines

Typewriters, daisy wheel printers, Wite-Out, onion skin and carbon paper

8-track tapes, our Toyota

LA Law, St. Elsewhere, Chicago Hope, Harry and Tonto

Whose Life is it, Anyway? Annie, A Chorus Line, A Doll's House

Family with Sada Thompson and Meredith Baxter Birney

Jekyll Island, Disneyland, The Rustler

View-Master, Boggle, Etch-a-Sketch

John Dean, John Mitchell, G. Gordon Liddy, the Plumbers, Woodward and Bernstein, Deep Throat

Leonard Bernstein, ET, Shenandoah, Barry Manilow, John Denver, Robby Benson

Gym clothes, toe socks, overalls, Danskins, undershirts, white gloves, Mary Janes, clogs

Bell bottoms, dashikis, velvet dresses, jumpers, power suits, briefcases

Passbook savings accounts, CDs, free toasters and blankets, babysitting money

Family services, birthday blessings, a nap before Selichot, the Guggenheim, Katz's Deli

Simple times...sweet memories

Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam who blessed me with the loving-est family, a secure childhood, wonderful experiences and opportunities, and tremendous powers of remembrance of simple, sweet, long-ago days and times. 

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.

#BlogElul 12: Forgive

Let me return to being forgiving,
To letting go,  
To moving on,
With no grudges beneath the surface.

Let me return to positivity,
Forgiving myself for seeing only the negative  
and the rude in everyone and everything.

Let me return to forgiving others, for
what I see as their faults and imperfections,
As I hope they will forgive me mine.
Each of us moving forward,
To a better, more tolerant, forgiving place.

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.

Monday, August 24, 2015

#BlogElul 10: Count

When you count your blessings,
don't count on perfection.
Nobody and nothing's perfect.

Count on screwing up,
Getting mad,
Being in a mess,
Feeling like you'll never get out.

Count on 'fessing up,
Apologizing,
Making amends,
Fixing what you can,
Learning to forgive yourself,
Moving on.

Count on your friends,
To help you laugh,
To hold your hand,
To hug your heart,
To help you make it right.

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.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

#BlogElul 9: See

Photo: blacksheepfilmworks.com
There's lots to see in Penn Station's Sunday sea of humanity. Every color of skin from freckled ivory to midnight black, with varying shades of cappuccino, latte, cafe au last, and creamy cocoa in between. And a rainbow of hair colors, too, purple, and green, and aqua, too.

Underneath, though, each of us is the same -- a vessel for a divine spark, even if it's not always visible.

In 5776, may my own spark be easily seen, and may I see the spark in others -- even if I have to look for it.

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.

#BlogElul 8: Hear

My world is filled with so much background noise and static that sometimes it's hard to hear the things that really matter.

Mostly, it seems, I hear one-sided cell phone conversations. Narishkeit.

Honking horns. Car alarms. Revving engines. Ambulance sirens.

Someone else's music. Blaring car radios. Firetrucks.

Inane chatter.  Jackhammers. Back-up beeps.

Dogs barking. Garbage trucks. Too much talking about nothing.

"Please step away from the door.  Please step away from the door. Please step away from the door."

Stand clear of the closing doors. Stand clear of the closing doors. Stand clear of the closing doors."

Too-loud music. Blenders making frappacinos. Endless words with no message.

Then this morning, I heard NPR's Scott Simon report on Jimmy Carter's recent press conference at which "people of all political faiths got a glimpse of [his] personal courage, grace and goodness. Simon went on to describe Carter's role in ridding the world of guinea worm, which previously had caused debilitating parasitic infections in 3.5 million people in Africa and Asia.

Last year, 126 cases were reported.

How refreshing to hear about something that really matters.

You can hear Scott Simon's full report here:

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. 

Friday, August 21, 2015

#BlogElul 7: Ten Things I Hope to Be in the New Year

  1. A generous, caring daughter, sister, niece, and friend.
  1. A traveler: to Michigan to visit Aunt Claire; to Chicago, a city I haven't seen, and home to friends I don't see often enough; and to California for more visits -- the Wilcox Azimovs, the Harrises, and Julie, one of my newest friends.
  1. A reader who downs books as fast as others down beer on Super Bowl Sunday.
  1. More carefree and maybe just a little irreverent, Ã  la Lenny Thal,  Jake Jacobs, or Elliott Kleinman.
  1. Less nervous, impatient, and frustrated by daily encounters.
  1. Patient and tolerant in day-to-day interactions.
  1. Helpful to and supportive of my BRCA sisters.
  1. A blogger with time to write meaningful posts.
  1. Grateful for each and every blessing that is mine.
  1. Content with myself and at peace in my life.
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. 

Thursday, August 20, 2015

#BlogElul 6: Know

5776...

Knocking at the door

New opportunities, hopes, dreams, and wishes

Offering a fresh start

Welcome!

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. 

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

#BlogElul 5: Accept

Dear Lady in Fairway,

When you walked by, I noticed that your left ankle turns in just like The Mums'. You have her posture, her body type, and you push your shopping cart just the way she did -- leaning down and into it for support. I wanted to like you, to catch a glimpse of your face, perhaps share a smile.

Until you pushed that shopping cart straight to the front of the "No Carts" check-out line -- as though none of us holding heavy hand baskets or sliding them forward with our feet as the line progressed was standing there, waiting patiently.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

#BlogElul 4: Seven Things I Understand About My Soul

Here are seven things I understand about my soul:
  1. My soul is pure. As we recite in the morning liturgy, Elohai, n'shaman shenatata bi t'horah hi. My God, the soul You have given me is pure.
  1. My lifelong eagerness to please and my aversion to risk live in my soul.
  1. Also rooted there is a reluctance to admit my true feelings -- sometimes even to myself.

Monday, August 17, 2015

#BlogElul 3: Search

Photo: rominirani.com
Having pretty much given up on the search for my bashert, I don't yearn for much.

Sure, when it comes to my day-to-day life, I'd like a bit more financial stability, less stress (OK, a significant reduction in stress would be great), and some tweaks in my professional world, but who wouldn't?

Sunday, August 16, 2015

#BlogElul 2: Act

My dad is forever telling me that I expect too much from people -- especially when it comes to the ways they act.  

Although I can't control others' actions, I can try to control my reactions to them.

My challenge is not to react with anger or frustration -- which has neither an outlet nor a benefit -- when the acts of others fail to meet my expectations. These acts, in particular, seem to rile me up the most, and, when I see them, take the most effort for me to remain calm:
  1. Sitting on the steps in Penn Station, obstructing the banister for those who need it to walk down the stairs.
  2. Talking loudly on the phone in public places.
  3. Texting and walking, especially in narrow spaces where other pedestrians cannot pass.
  4. Standing directly in front of the Select Bus ticket machines, blocking others who want to buy tickets, especially when a bus is approaching. 
  5. Failing to give up their seat for someone holding a child, a folded stroller, or a cane.
  6. Failing to hold the elevator for a neighbor a mere three paces behind.
  7. Failing to recognize how loud and disruptive giggling and incessant chatter can be when nearby colleagues are trying to work.
  8. Failing to greet the doorman or thank him for opening and holding the door. 
  9. Placing a backpack, purse or packages on an empty seat on a crowded train. 
  10. Standing in the doorway of a subway car when others are trying to enter or exit. (Get out and then back in, or move elsewhere in the car. Everyone will thank you.) 
  11. Littering, especially cigarette butts.
  12. Manspreading.
  13. Conducting a group conversation in the middle of the sidewalk, especially at rush hour.
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. 

Saturday, August 15, 2015

#BlogElul 1: Prepare

Image: engageselling.com
I am from the list makers -- sometimes Buzzfeed-esque, sometimes not.

From the checkers, the double checkers, the triple checkers, the trackers, the reservation makers, the lovers of confirmation emails.

I am from the wait-in-the-lobby travelers, so the Carmel limo driver doesn't have to call upstairs, from the leave-the-house-a-few-minutes-early cohort, just in case the bus is running late.

This is no trip to Columbus, though. No long weekend down the shore.

How do we prepare for a journey of the soul? The annual pilgrimage of our deepest selves in search of our better selves?

What lists should we make? What items do we need to check off?

Is it a list of things we wish to be?  The things we've accomplished since last Elul? Those we've avoided?

The ones we've hoped for and dreamed about? Those that happened? Maybe those that didn't -- the ones that get copied onto a new list -- again -- for the coming year.

Maybe it's the marks we missed?  Or the bull's eyes we hit? Or all the places in between?

The ideas we've embraced? The ideals we've embodied? Those we've rejected outright? Or those we've tweaked to make our own?

Will there be a confirmation email in our in-box once all the lists are made?  When all the right items have been checked off?

Done?

Finished?

Completed?

If not wholly prepared, than at least thought about? Considered? On the radar? In the ballpark?

Are we ever ready?  Really ready?

I don't know...it's a good thing we have 40 days to figure it out.

Inspired by Ima on (and off) the Bima,this #BlogElul post is the first 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. 

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Why Jews Should Care About the National Cathedral’s Stained Glass Windows

Last month I spent six wonderful days at Kenyon College in Gambier, OH, where I participated in the Kenyon Institute's Beyond Walls writing seminar, the inaugural session of an interfaith initiative for clergy, seminarians, and people who write in religious organizations.

Thanks to terrific faculty, a supportive community of similarly minded writers, Wiggin Street Coffee, and -- perhaps most important -- daily solo writing time, I have this op-ed to show for my efforts.

Charleston’s historic “Mother Emanuel” A.M.E. Church was their sanctuary. Midweek they studied bible under its roof; on Sundays they prayed from its pews. Their spiritual lives were centered there. Their racially motivated murders sparked the current debate over the Confederate flag – the same flag their     murderer, Dylann Roof, holds in a photo on his website.