Jewish Musings, Tuesday, Aug 8

[louise]

What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.

Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:
Frieda
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

[louise]

I have so much to get done this next month for myself and for the synagogue vis a vis the High Holy Days. The best thing I can do for myself is schedule things like I would do at my job. On the 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah I have been doing 2 aliyot (plus the maftirs) which I would like to increase to 4. That means I need to start studying NOW! For the 2 new ones I plan to familiarize myself with 2 verses a day. That would get me off to some kind of start.

I have already started assigning the rest of the torah readings and will be signing up the ushers and aliyot. Tomorrow I will finish up sending emails to likely participants to ask them to confirm or whatever it is I need from them. At least I will have the questions out there! I have also put the questions out there for various purchasing I do for several groups (apples, honey, cookies, etc.).

The really personal and always troublesome other thing is about the messiness in my apartment. This goes back to treating myself with dignity. Treating myself as I would someone else. I am happier in an orderly space, yet I bring this on myself. So, like the 2 verses a day, I will pick one doable thing a day and DO IT!

I’m hoping that making this little outline (publicly) will help me move forward. This is the companion/action piece to yesterday’s question about self-respect. This is also by way of my preparation for the Days of Awe which is potentially such a large topic I am just marking off little bites.

Have your thoughts started to turn to the High Holy Days?

[hollygail]

I used to be the equivalent of the "stage manager" (if you're familiar with what a theater stage manager is responsible for doing) for High Holy Days services. Little by little, I managed to delegate specific things to other people. These days, all I have to do is line up the Torah and haftarah readers, and decide (along with another person, a man I've been working with for over 20 years and believe me, we make a terrific team!) to whom to offer English readings (there are quite a few). He and I already have the service outlines from the rabbi and last week we received the remainder of the English readings. We won't know who will be volunteering to do English readings for at least another week (I don't remember the deadline published for volunteers for readings) and at that time, John and I will set a date/time to go through the readings and assign them. John's wife (for the last bunch of years) has accepted the job of contacting the reading volunteers with their specific readings (John and I used to do that part too) and when a volunteer can't (for any reason at all) do what s/he said yes to, we re-assign and John's DW sends new emails. And yes, there are plenty of times we draft individuals who haven't volunteered...

To answer the question "Have your thoughts started to turn to the High Holy Days?" in one word, yes.

And the level of stress I used to experience has gone practically to zero.

When DH and I first got together, he saw the stress I experienced during the first time he saw me preparing for HHD. Starting the following year, chocolate miraculously and magically appeared in the pantry, fridge and freezer starting the same week I started working on the upcoming HHD. This man is truly a keeper...

[hollygail]

peachymom1 , Peachy, today is World Cat Day. Happy World Cat Day to you!

[gazelle18]

Yikes, I have not started thinking about the holidays yet! Here in NOLA , the high holidays are ALWAYS during hurricane season, so any plans we make have to be tempered by that. For example, I once lost an entire freezer full of baked goods because the power was out for a week. It seems like a small thing now, but at the time I was rather upset!

I was once president of the synagogue, and had the duty of giving an annual address to the congregation. Lawyer (and frustrated performer) that I am, I used to relish this. AND there was definitely stress involved!

Louise, the idea of tackling the messiness in small bites is a good one. This is the only way I can handle it

[peachymom1]

Good morning everyone! First, Louise, good for you for taking small steps on tidying up your apartment. I feel good when things are in order; DH, not so much. I'd love to throw out 90% of his stuff, but that would be disrespectful. So I'm working on helping him do it himself. He's starting to read those articles directed toward those of us over 60, about not accumulating more stuff and getting rid of things. And it may actually be sinking in. (fingers crossed)

HHD are still in the periphery for me; I've already dealt with our membership, but I'm so busy reading Torah that I haven't had a chance yet to start thinking much about it. I'm reading three aliyot this Shabbat, and they're not easy for me. I've been studying like a maniac, and they're getting into my brain, but slowly. The ones I do on HHD are much easier, and I've done them so many times that it's not hard to prepare for them. After this Shabbat, I'll start going over them.

[lee058]

Good morning everybody. Hope you are all well and SAFE!

I am feeling a bit woozy and my stomach is still somewhat upset. I think I caught a stomach bug a few days ago. I am doing better, but need to rest today. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be okay as I have errands I'd like to run.

Re today's topic: I've written down a few HHD-related notes on my calendars, but that's about it. Those of you who have tremendous responsibilities, I am very impressed by you!

Have a peaceful day, Lee

[brgmsn]

Louise, do you work a paid position for your synagogue or is it a volunteer, Ritual chair sort of thing? I can't figure it out. Because I was ritual and choir chair for years and that was my job, but there were subcommittees and people who did all that. I did not at all. I don't get why you are in charge of every area. It's too much! Others need to do their part, not just you IMO. Plus the job ends after a period of time. I made sure mine did and let someone else (younger) step up and get involved.
Sorry if I overstepped. It just seems you do everything and that's not how it should be! You don't need this extra added stress.