Shalom Friends of the Nahalat Shalom Community,
Nachum Ish Gam Zu is quoted as saying , " This Too is For a Good", "Gam Zu L'Tovah." Well we are not out of the woods yet, but I am sure each of us can find something that made us think a bit differently about our lives that woke us up in the past two weeks.
The Mussar trait of Bitachon, Trust, is certainly one of those for me at this time. I have chosen to hunker down, except for brief outings to Whole Foods at 7:00 in the morning for my 'senior center' shopping experience. A bit odd for sure! However, when I go to Whole Foods, I am greeted with warm smiles and a lovely young woman who is ready with a cloth and an alcohol spray to cleanse my cart. Shopping there, which has not been my norm, is now the highlight of my week. I feel welcome, wanted, and really appreciate their abundance of groceries and true desire to help me at this time.
Mid-morning is the roughest time of day for me. So that is when I listen to my two Talmud podcasts, "Take One" and "Talking Talmud"- each less than 15 minutes and amazingly relevant to today's circumstances. I highly recommend these podcasts, they are light, but filled with relevant content. Just a couple of days ago, hand washing was the main context of the Talmud!! After listening, I journal about the podcasts and the Talmud page of the day, and then jump on my rebounder for 15 minutes. That usually does the trick.
In times of uncertainty, having faith, routine and trust are my keys to thriving and not just surviving. The other thing is reaching out to people, which comes easy to me. This past weekend I was elated because 6 people whom I usually reach out to first, contacted me!! Knowing that I was loved, thought about and mattered to another human meant a great deal to me.
Each day, in some new way I am rediscovering humanity. Walkers in the open space near my home who in the past happily jogged by without a nod are now making a point of saying hello, and even asking how I am doing. At the day counter where we searched for cottage cheese and eggs a once total stranger initiated a conversation with me about her dog. Usually I am the one who engages with others, not the other way around. People around me are happier and calmer than I would have expected. We are treading lightly but with consciousness. Each day I gather more stories of kindness in our community.
I encourage you during this time to reach out to those that you are thinking about, even if that is not your norm. In this time of 'not normal' we have an opportunity to change the norm.
Warmly, In faith, Rabbi Chavah Carp