Here are six things I'm pondering -- and trying to accept -- this Elul and throughout the coming year:
- Transitions: They’re hard, but staying put too long in one place can be harder.
- The World: It doesn’t always work the way we were taught it’s supposed to work. But, it's filled with beauty, grandeur, and mystery that is ours to discover.
- Life: It is what it is, and it isn’t always fair.
- Hard Work: It’s supposed to pay off. Sometimes it does…sometimes it doesn’t. When it doesn’t, it’s not because you didn’t actually work hard; some things just aren’t in our control.
- Change: Despite the annual messages and lessons of the High Holidays, change is really hard, and it becomes harder with each passing year, as we become more set in our ways and in our thinking.
- People: They are who they are and they aren’t likely to change (see #5 above). However, looking for and finding a divine spark -- or even an ember -- in each one may make accepting the nudniks, the egomaniacs, and the kvetches a tad bit easier.
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 precede the Jewish High Holidays and traditionally serve as a time of reflection and spiritual preparation for the new year.
