Seize this opportunity!

Still checking my Facebook feed twice daily (except Shabbat and Yom Tov coming up…) for humor and thoughts…. And here is one of my favorites: G-d saw that we are running too fast and doing too much and not thinking….. so G-d gave us all a TIME OUT! Another observation is that in the beginning of this present reality of ours, everybody was setting up schedules for children, trying to completely replicate work and school schedules and then…. After a few days, 31-year-old Sally who had been homeschooling her children ages about sixty years, schedules are thrown out, and this piece of wisdom shines through it all – use this opportunity to do what we may not have had time to do before. There is one post (and I hope that you have all seen these and that the references I am making are familiar to all) that is a conversation in 2030 between a parent and an 18-year-old about what they remember from 2020. The parent remembers the disruption, the fear, the scarcity of basic supplies and the worries of the time. The 18-year-old who was eight at the time remembers it as the happiest time of his childhood – with scavenger hunts in the backyard, so much facetime with his grandfather, family dinners every night and the family being together.

So, I ask you which way do we want to go? What will our children and grandchildren remember about this moment in time? What will we and how much control do we EACH have over the memories we produce in this situation in which we find ourselves? I love the story of the woman in Maryland who decided her children’s school day should continue to begin with the Pledge of Allegiance, so she took a large American flag to the end of the driveway and her family began their day thus. After a bit, the entire neighborhood is now coming together every morning for the Pledge and “Circle Time” to check in with each other, by projecting their voices. In the Jewish community, much has been discussed and many are coming together for daily prayers in new and creative ways, either praying together or praying as individuals (without the required minyan, or prayer quorum) but nonetheless together with others doing the same. One parent created a huge Chutes and Ladders board on her driveway to have kids play from, as one friend and respected colleague of mine put it – a socially interactive – but from a physical distance. Kids are baking, learning their measurements and life skills along the way while mom teaches them; families are scrapbooking and sharing their wonderful Legacy Stories with each other; people are reading books; walks in the park are so appreciated and in general, the pace of life is slowing down a bit and everyone is being INTENTIONAL about what they are doing. I am personally learning and teaching daily with groups on Zoom, through phone conferencing, Face Book pages, Face Time, etc. What’s wrong with this?

Nothing really, and while the circumstances are clearly scary and we, as everyone else, are looking at very empty Seder tables for the upcoming holiday of Passover and our Christian friends are confronting the same as Easter approaches and IFTAR dinners will be small as well for our Muslim brothers and sisters in faith, think about what this time brings – more time with family in intentional conversations, more phone calls to friends and those in our lives who we just always mean to call but cannot, praying in circles and with people (in what I suspect may actually be an uptake in attendance), upgrading our technology skills so we can see each other and create so many meaningful interactions in virtual venues… and for those of us who are truly blessed with all of the creature comforts we need, we are thankful as well as mindful of those who do not have all of this, helping in any way we can.

It is said that tragedy and extreme circumstances bring out the best in us, and I agree with that, though I think it is sad that this is what it takes for too many people. Nonetheless, let us all breathe deeply and be in touch with our core selves, while staying in touch, reading good books, taking walks where we can at safe distances, and just keeping in mind what is important and acting sensibly. Be well all, stay safe, and remember the blessings you have and let’s all use this moment so we can remember it as remarkable, aside from the obvious limitations. Now off to a Zoom Birthday Party and then plan to watch another really funny sketch someone has posted from The Carol Burnett Show – laughing is so good for the soul. I highly recommend it.