Month: September 2014

Penguins manage to be happy, even surrounded by nothing but sand and ice and sky. Of course, to a penguin, a rock is a really lovely gift. It’s easier to be happy when your wants are few.

What is the tiniest thing that has made you happy?

The Jewish New Year marks the beginning of the Days of Turning, a time of repentance and asking for forgiveness from those whom we have harmed. While January New Year’s resolutions imagine how we might improve ourselves in the year to come, Rosh Hashana reminds us that we move forward most effectively when we have dealt well with our past.

Whose forgiveness would help you to move forward?

These performers could be using their hands to tell a story, to wave to their friends, to invite applause or simply to convey the beauty of movement. The range of things we can do with our hands is astounding, and the choices we make can be stunning in their kindness or cruelty.

What will you do today with your hands?

The equinox marks the moment of the year when light and dark are in balance. Whether you are in the Northern or the Southern Hemisphere, the day and the night are of the same length. Of course, knowing you are tipping toward winter or toward spring makes a difference in what the equinox means to you, but perhaps for just this moment it is possible to live quietly in the shared balance.

What do you treasure about this particular moment you are in?

Some days it feels like there is just too much to carry, that the tasks and the burdens have piled so high that at any moment things could collapse in a chaotic heap of chairs and bed linens and onions. Go slow. Take it easy around the corners.

What helps when you are feeling overwhelmed?