Leah first came to me about a year ago with unexplained infertility. She had been married for eight years. Both she and her husband are healthy, and not a single test that they underwent gave them a bit of hope—because every test came back negative. When you are told that you have a problem, you feel hopeful because you have something to fix. When you are told that there is no problem, you feel helpless and desperate, not sure what to do or what not to do.They were stuck and unhappy

As funny as this sounds, I massage women’s bellies for a living. I massage and get the blood and lymph to flow. As I massaged Leah’s belly, she started to flow. Not just the blood and the lymph, not just energy, but words started to flow from her mouth.

Leah was unhappy and frustrated at work. Her husband was also miserable with his job. Ever since they got married, they lived in the same apartment, had the same jobs. Everything was the same. They were stuck and unhappy.

“Leah,” I said boldly, “you need a change. Change! Something, anything! I don’t know what, but change. Maybe your job? Your husband’s job? Your apartment? Change!”

Leah’s reaction: “I’m too scared . . .”

A few months went by. I kept insisting and encouraging. “You can do it! Encourage your husband as well. Make a change!”

How many times did she hear that word from me? At least a dozen.

Then Leah came to me, excited. “I did it!”

“What?”

“I went on a job interview! Elana, the interview was a half-hour long, and the whole time, all they did was ask me questions about my current job. Question after question. The more I told them, the more I realized what a great job I have. I work with wonderful people. My boss pretty much leaves me alone. I have a variety of tasks and responsibilities. I feel fulfilled, because it is work for a nonprofit that really helps people. I left the interview so appreciative and happy with my current job.”

“Wonderful!” I shared in her excitement. “You made the change!”

Sometimes, we don’t have to change our “location,” our “job,” our “surroundings,” in order to make the change.

Life, for most people, is a routine. We go through the year with the same seasons. We go through the calendar with the same holidays. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Purim, Pesach, Shavuot. We start the year, we end Wake up! Change!the year. And we arrive once more at Rosh Hashanah. It’s the same apples dipped in honey. The same dates and honey cake. The same holiday as we stand before the King of Kings, our Creator, and He asks a question: “Are you the same?”

The word for “year” in Hebrew, shanah, has the same root as the word for “change,” shinui, and the word “sleep,” sheinah. As the days draw closer and closer to Rosh Hashanah, the shofar blasts can be heard loud and clear. Like an alarm clock, they arouse us from sleep, they wake us up from our routine. “Toot toot toot . . .”

“Wake up! Change! It’s the start of a new year!”

The change doesn’t have to be big or drastic.

The change doesn’t have to be a new job, a new home, a new place.

The change has to come from within you. It’s your outlook, your perspective, it’s you.

The phone just rang. It’s Leah. I’m so happy—thank G‑d, she’s calling to tell me good news . . .