Delete and Refresh

Don’t you wish we could just have a delete and refresh button in life? Since we’re standing at the threshold of new Jewish Year, we can do just that. This past year was not like any year we’ve seen in our lifetime; definitely not what we wished for. The year 5781 is an invitation to a fresh start. Rosh Hashanah is our annual reminder to introspect in retrospect, a chance to take inventory and reassess. Since we’re in isolation anyway, why not turn off the daily stress and the noise of all social media, find a place to be still and go inside ourselves to find refuge and answers within ourselves?
The pandemic of COVID-19 forced us to adjust and adapt to many changes. Changes aren’t necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps living B.C. (before Corona) got too comfortable and we were just going through the motions without taking time off to review what works for us and what doesn’t.
How we handle this pandemic as individuals, or at large, will affect our future in many ways. Knowing that we’re all in this together can be reassuring for all of us. We know to give a helping hand to those in need. Now, we finally appreciate our teachers’ hard work with our children, the future generation. We also appreciate our first responders and can never thank our medical teams enough. They are our true heroes.
Now, as we go back to basics, we shift our priorities. What once seemed so important doesn’t seem that way anymore while the things we used to take for granted are now the really important. Working on the 15th floor office building apparently is not that essential if work can be done from home. And because we’re told to stay away from each other, we miss our loved ones more than ever.
We must have self compassion; do something good for ourselves such as keep our body fit, create and engage in activities that stimulate our mind, and nourish our souls. Embracing and understanding this new reality is much needed. Now, we can enjoy our walks in nature longer and learn to love a little stronger.
Perhaps our goals for the New Year will have a new awareness, a broader vision of our collective future towards a more meaningful life. Alexander Clark once said, “Let’s take care of our beginnings, the results will grow on their own.”
I wish us all a Happy New Year, healthy and safe, fulfilling and joyful. L’shana Tova!
Naomi Young is an educator of Jewish studies and a Bar/ Bat mitzvah tutor in Santa Clarita for 38 years. She’s also a published writer and an artist. Contact her at naomiyoung7@yahoo.com Visit her art website at www.naomiyoung.com