Life Lessons

You now possess three-quarters of a billion dollars. You make yourself a cup of coffee, and you sit at your kitchen table, thinking about the money. How does it change your plans? How does it change who you are?

I think about this often as I work at my projects. Do you think, if I make an effort to keep the back neat and tidy, snipping away the loose ends, my life will be tidier? Or appear tidier to me? Just a thought...

“You love all your children just as much as you love me . . . so that can’t be possible. But I only have one mommy. And I love no one just as much,” I reasoned...

Only later did I notice that one tiny tree had been planted so close to the playground’s fence that its narrow branches had become entangled in the mesh. Would it ever grow to independent maturity like the other trees?

Sadly, we are influenced by a society that eats not when it’s hungry, but when it’s bored. We are distracted by access, and it’s disheartening, because we are so much more than that...

From the moment I met him, I knew that Tal was someone special. But I could never have imagined how our relationship would shape my life.

Can you imagine how much easier it would be to move forward if we could look at our past and realize that just as we have changed, grown and developed, so too have those that let us down? The person they were may have caused us pain, but the person they are now would not have. If we can view them in the past, then we can leave their failures in the past...

It is through our gained maturity and insight, a precious gift bequeathed by time, that we are able to gaze back at our progression, giving us insight into the future. If we extend this trajectory, bending the rules of physics and the laws that govern “reality” as we know it, a fascinating new world emerges from the dust of exile...

Aging is happening even as I type these words. I am ever so slowly, and sometimes more quickly, evolving into the “older” generation. These words, in print, sicken me. I am sixteen on the inside of my brain, but the rest of my body is screaming otherwise!

He ignored my heartfelt cries, the Psalms that I recited, the prayers and the bargaining. He did it His way, and in the process my heart was shattered . . .

Now that the decks are clearer and the obstacles fewer, do we have the self confidence and courage to move forward and concretize those aspirations? Do we have the guts to zero in on the objectives and work toward their achievement?

I never imagined that such a reductive view of my life’s stuff could so aptly tell the story of us, but in many ways it does . . .

To be true to yourself while sitting in your living room is no big feat. That’s what the angels do in heaven, and they get absolutely no credit for that. The trick is to be yourself in someone else’s living room. To remain who you are no matter where you are . . .

Do I look older? Do I look old? I don’t feel old, but I’m actually not sure what old feels like . . .

Chavi and her husband were dumbstruck. They had realized that the unit was positioned outside, over her garden, but it had never occurred to them that it might disturb her . . .

I find myself reflecting on life’s choices, and wondering if I got what I always wanted...

Out of nowhere a well-dressed, kind-looking woman appeared. She smiled and said, “I can lend you the money, and you can pay me back at your convenience . . .”

“One by one, the pawnbroker weighed the items to discern their value. But when he picked up the heart necklace—Momma suddenly let out a shout, ‘No!’”

We are grownups, busy, efficient and productive, with many important lists on our planners. It’s hard for big people to enter that magical space, where time is suspended and birds are chirping...

My decisiveness has been a real blessing. My instincts are pretty great. But my prejudices, narrowmindedness, laziness and fear stand in the way of recognizing new opportunities...

Physical life is transient and temporary. If one can take the material and elevate it—to any degree—is that not a privilege? Surely, this endeavor I speak of is a meaningful way of remembering the spiritual qualities of Ruthie—her goodness, her modesty, her “let’s dress well but our souls must shine too” attitude . . .

I didn’t know what he wanted. Confused, I didn’t answer. In its niche at the back of my mind, the horrible truth wriggled and stretched. People don’t like Jews, my darling...

For most of my life, I never saw crying as an expected, positive, and even necessary part of life—not to mention something one would ever do in front of other people. I always thought crying was, well, shameful. At best, a sign of weakness and deficiency; at worst, a symptom of immaturity and petulance. However, several life experiences have since changed my perspective . . .

I try to get back to that place within in me that still reaches unceasingly for meaning. I can't get back. As I kiss my children good bye by the door, the glare of the morning sun is sharp and unforgiving. I want to climb, to run, to inspire. But the heaviness tugs at me, warning me to pause, to rest, to give up...

There comes a time in a religious woman’s experience when you do things by rote, and everything numbs over.

I remembered the good bye I had given my husband that morning: a garbled jumble of vowels, consonants and the last gulp of my coffee, a flick of my wrist as I picked up the baby, my bag, the garbage and then ran up the steps, leaving the door wide open behind me. Now I wondered, what had happened to the inspiration? Where was it hiding?

We were given two eyes for two very different purposes; our left eye, to look at ourselves critically, and our right to look at others with kindness...

Perhaps my initial feeling of embarrassment stemmed from societal pressure. Thanking G-d just wasn’t in the script I’d been handed. But another part of me knew that I had discovered something beautiful. I decided to add the acknowledgement to my conversations. This proved to be problematic...

I would hate to think that one day my children will grow up and feel inferior because they can't do something on their own. I would be devastated if they don't turn to me to ask for advice or assistance because I taught them that they had to be perfect and to do everything by themselves...

Watching an increasing number of my peers and family become ill and suffer in various ways, my sensitivity to and appreciation for all the gorgeous details of life began to grow. I was watching my gratitude for being alive bloom, like sights of a spring morning. I actually began embracing the idea and practice of celebrating...

On a night intended to commemorate our eleventh anniversary, and our treasured connection to each other, we celebrate instead the kindness of strangers, and the delicate and fragile strands of life's web...

I wanted the college degree, nice house, a great spouse, plenty of kids, and wonderful relationships. Who doesn’t? I don’t think it’s wrong to want and strive for all those things, but it also begs the question that when all is said and done, are you truly a winner?

I didn't realize the number of soldiers who died here, nor did I comprehend how young they were. I found myself having trouble breathing a lot of the time...

Of course I wanted to honor my Zaydie and his memory, but I also wanted to honor my son and his choices for his special day. Then I took an even deeper look at the situation. Maybe there was something more sinister. Maybe the real concern was how I would appear with my son wearing such a tallit...

She turned round quickly and her flippers sent a cloud of tiny bubbles towards my mask. When they cleared I saw her signaling frantically: she clutched her throat a few times and then held her hand out towards me. The bubbles that were supposed to be drifting out of her mouth piece were no longer there...

Ironically, the hardest shots to block on WiiFit soccer are the ones that come at you dead center. Indeed, finding my center is the challenge. It's relatively easy to live within any narrowly-defined culture. Yes, it's restraining, but the parameters of making decisions are also easier...

The bus drove by a group of schoolchildren. These children wore jeans, colored sweatshirts, sneakers—they looked like "real kids." My eyes met those of the little boy nearest the bus. I smiled at him, waving. The little boy raised his arm and pointed. "Zydi!" (Jews!)

I berated myself, did a self critique that led to assassination of my character and driving skills and I also bargained with G‑d. However, I never once praised Him or thanked Him for averting disaster...

I took my dreams of planting patches of beauty, of roaming, and of beauty and wrapped them up carefully in crinkly tissue. Then I put them in a place where the light of hope and striving for a dream never reach...

When you drive with a menorah on the top of your car, you are very in-your-face-Jewish. And I soon learned that every single time I got into my van, no matter where I was going or what I was doing, I was going to be watched...

We all have these latches in our lives—different defenses and fears that hold us back from learning how to fly. We're scared of change. We are more comfortable on the ground, but there is a voice inside each of us reminding us we can fly...

It's not the money or the renown that bring contentment. People want to affect others, to influence them, and just to make their lives a little easier...

The drummer was the crippled boy whose wheelchair I had stored. He was putting his soul into his drumming—so deep was his desire to give back...

Instead of hearing a song in the noise around us, we hear a series of clangs and screams and vibrations. Instead of seeing a dance, we see a kick, a turn of the head, and a raised arm. The thing is, a kick is just a kick, and a clang is just a clang. A hand doesn't do much good if there's no arm to extend it...

Whereas I used to groan as I glanced out the window into the semi-darkness, lately I have found a way to make waking up a more joyful experience, even when it happens at 5am.

I've spent quite a few hours recently playing this game. My children love it and I have no doubt why. Everything can change at the very last moment, and that is exactly what is so exciting...

If I could be given any gift to help me in my job as a teacher, I know exactly what I would ask for. I haven't ever seen one, but I know that I need it: a special kind of mirror that I can hold up for my students to gaze into, and instead of seeing themselves as they always do, they would see themselves as I see them...

She is in constant pain from her arthritis. She knows that so many of her dreams are lost--her husband who is gone, the children she wanted but never had. Yet she is happy. Every visit, we are blessed with another little glimpse into a world that is long gone...