Are you an over-obligator? Do you say yes to everything and everyone? Are you the person who can be counted on to do the work that nobody else wants to do? There's a lot of satisfaction and joy to be found in being of service and assistance to others. But if you find yourself becoming … Continue reading The Power of Saying No
Category: Blogging
Looking in the Funhouse Mirror
Have you ever noticed how gym mirrors tend to distort, like funhouse mirrors? If you are short and solidly built like me, you don’t find much fun in that kind of mirrors – for some reason they never make you look taller and slimmer than you really are. My personal solution to those mirrors has … Continue reading Looking in the Funhouse Mirror
What Would You Do For Self-Love? (video)
So I was in this exercise class, and I found myself wondering out loud why I was there. Stay tuned for the answer. What do you do for self-love?
#BlogElul 29: Return (video)
I did it! I made it all the way through Elul with my blogs, although I did have to do a bit of catching up here and there. So proud of myself! Here is the last video of this project, and it's a chatty one - I forgot that I had switched my Facebook Lives … Continue reading #BlogElul 29: Return (video)
#BlogElul 28: Give
An important concept in all three great monotheistic religions is that of giving - the social contract to support those who have less material wealth than we do. In Judaism and Islam, the word that is usually translated as "charity" is actually related to "justice" instead. We give not because it makes us feel good … Continue reading #BlogElul 28: Give
#BlogElul 27: Bless
Sometimes there are blessed serendipities in our lives. Rabbi Sommer had no way of knowing that today is my and my husband's 25th wedding anniversary, and yet here it is - the theme is "Bless". David and I met at a time in our lives when we both thought we had to settle for what … Continue reading #BlogElul 27: Bless
#BlogElul 26: Create
There is a description of nearly all Jewish holidays that goes like this: "They tried to kill us, we won, let's eat." Creating holiday-specific foods is an integral part of the tradition. The traditional foods of Ashkenazic Jewry are foods of poverty - my grandmother would eat with relish things like chicken feet and fish … Continue reading #BlogElul 26: Create
#BlogElul 25: Change
I'm actually writing this post on the Friday, because I don't write posts on Shabbat, and I have to go out and help run a service after Havdallah. So if you are wondering, this is a pre-written post. A change for me! We are getting closer and closer to the end of this month of … Continue reading #BlogElul 25: Change
#BlogElul 24: Hope
I ended yesterday's post with the words "I find that hopeful, don't you?", and here is today's theme, hope. I love it. So today's thought about hope is going to be a little less cosmic than the one in yesterday's blog post. I'll start with a remarkable quote from the great Dr. Brené Brown: Hope … Continue reading #BlogElul 24: Hope
#BlogElul 23: Begin
After every ending, there must be a new beginning. That is how the Universe is set up. In the Jewish calendar, every day starts with sundown - so in a sense, we always begin with an ending. The sun goes down, we sleep, and in the morning we face a new day, full of glorious … Continue reading #BlogElul 23: Begin