Another month has passed and still we are doing our thing at home. Here’s what’s been happening over here:
- I’ve lost 12 pounds thus far and am on our new treadmill every day. I’m a tiny bit sick of my food routine: oatmeal and yogurt, sandwich and fruit, light dinner, popcorn. I’ve still got a long way to go, but progress is great.
- I’ve been doing my online classes and some art; SG has been learning video editing skills; Mr. B is working.
- We heard from school that the first 6-weeks will start 2 weeks late and will be all virtual. 6th grade orientation will be virtual but we will be able to drive over to pick up textbooks, etc. SG is VERY excited and has been looking forward to it for many months. She’s got her desk all set up and ready.
- A few days ago, SG was offered a place at the private school we originally desperately hoped she would attend. After much soul-searching, we decided to stick with the public school plan we are excited about.
- I have been facilitating a beginner group of Mussar students and have loved it. I hope to continue meeting with them a couple more times once the official program ended yesterday. They have made some small steps toward being more patient and more balanced and it’s been a privilege to watch them grow and learn from them.
- I applied to a Masters program in Jewish Studies!
SG and I don’t really mind being at home all the time. We have our routine and the days seem to pass rather quickly. This week she’s doing a virtual pottery painting camp for an hour each morning. I’ve been redesigning my Etsy shop and the print shop for my photography. I am also creating a photo book of February’s Israel trip with photos from all the participants. It’s a lot more to manage than I originally thought!
By the time I get in bed at night, I’m so tuckered out from the day that my eyes are closing soon after I take out a book. Adding in reading time during the day has really helped me, but I’m still not reading as much as I’d like to be. What have you been reading that you’d recommend?
To Heal a Fractured World: The Ethics of Responsibility by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
An approachable and philosophical book about restoring religion to its true purpose—as a partnership with God in the work of ethical and moral living. Rabbi Sacks writes about Judaism’s ethics to argue against hatred in the name of religion and for a thoughtful responsibility to our fellow humans. I will read this book again and again.
“Judaism is a complex and subtle faith, yet it has rarely lost touch with its simple ethical imperatives. We are here to make a difference, to mend the fractures of the world, a day at a time, an act at a time, for as long as it takes to make it a place of justice and compassion where the lonely are not alone, the poor not without help; where the cry of the vulnerable is heeded and those who are wronged are heard. ‘Someone else’s physical needs are my spiritual obligation’, a Jewish mystic taught. The truths of religion are exalted, but its duties are close at hand. We know God less by contemplation than by emulation. The choice is not between ‘faith’ and ‘deeds’, for it is by our deeds that we express our faith and make it real in the life of others and the world.”
Funny, You Don’t Look Like a Rabbi: A Memoir of Unorthodox Transformation by Rabbi Lynnda Targan
It’s interesting that I read this now because I am on a path of searching for my next step on my spiritual journey. I saw a review of this in Hadassah magazine (I opened right up to it) and started reading the book right then (published in April). In “middle age,” Targan begins studying, which leads to 2 Masters programs and then rabbinical school. I found it incredibly exciting to read about her journey of transformation and reinvention despite setbacks. Highly readable and personal.
“To lift someone up, to shine a light in darkness, to inspire, to make a difference in the life of an individual or a community, and to be a moral agent enacting social change are chief among the highest Judaic values as a spiritual leader, a kli kodesh, a holy vessel.”
Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump
I read this on day one out of curiosity, but I am tired of talking about this man. However, this book gave me great insight into how he came to be so pathological. A key point of the book is that of responsibility of all of us:
“There seems to be an endless number of people willing to join the claque that protects Donald from his own inadequacies while perpetuating his unfounded belief in himself. Although more powerful people put Donald into the institutions that have shielded him since the very beginning, it’s people weaker than he is who are keeping him there.”
Becoming Duchess Goldblatt by Anonymous
This one also just came out this month. A real-life writer creates a false Twitter account and gains thousands of followers as she encourages and loves them, creating a community of people who need each other in the best way. This memoir is humorous and entertaining. One of my favorite aspects is the contrast between this character and her real, downtrodden, hopeless life.
“Duchess is a friend to all humanity, which is all well and good as far as it goes, but I don’t mind telling you privately here that it can be a real drag for me. She loves the world. I try to love the world. I mean, in theory, I want to love the world and all humanity. I can certainly see how it would be a good idea.”
