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The Blessing of Balance and Humility - A Spiritual Trifecta

Four days ago my cousin, an herbalist, created the "10 Days of Positivitea" challenge. No dumping ice water on my head (which I did), her gentle invitation was to spend a few minutes a day with myself, a meditation, an intention, and a cup of tea. Truth be told, I'm not a tea drinker, so I enjoy my husband's yummy daily coffee, but the rest is as directed.

Simultaneously I am participating in my colleague Rabbi Phyllis Sommer's #BlogElul, a daily opportunity to prepare for Rosh Hashanah using prompts provided by Rabbi Sommer. 
And one more thing, I and several dozen rabbis and cantors are engaged in a program of learning mussar, a Jewish text-based method of self-explorative learning of how to apply middot (Jewish values) such as humility, kindness, righteousness, patience, and equanimity to our lives and – by extension – within our communities. As do all mussar students, we began a month ago with anavah, humility. 

 Today the three opportunities gently brush up against each other. 

 Day 3: #balance #10daysoftea 
Day 4: #bless #blogelul
Anavah: No less than my space, no more than my place.

#Bless, #balance, #anavah/humility mingle today as I reflect on how I have grown as a person and as Jew.

In my natural, untamed, undisciplined state, I tend to be an either-or kind of person. Black/white, immersed/distant, passionate/detached. I exercise daily or not at all. I study ferociously or waste time in front of the idiot boxes of my laptop or television. I fiercely organize my space or leave my stuff wherever it lands. I either want a lot of attention or believe that I have no value.

But all that is changing. Physical injuries demand that I get off the treadmill so I can heal. Preparing for the High Holidays demands that I apportion my day wisely. Becoming aware how humility crops up in my personal and professional lives is changing the way I approach both.

The #blessing of #balance and #anavah/humility is that my soul feels so much more peaceful and able to live and work in a place of calm. I can let others join me on my bench, I allow myself enough space to exist sweetly, and I am trying mightily to appreciate how I can learn from every person and experience I encounter.

So my #intention today is to make my pre-Shabbat to-do list, believe that with my Source of energy and spirit I can accomplish what I need to for the day, and be open to the lessons that God and the universe are teaching me.

Shabbat shalom ... l'shanah tovah.






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