Jewish Musing, Friday/Shabbat, August 25, 2023

[peachymom1]

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:

Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

And for those of you that stop by to read this thread without posting — you are welcome to, but you are also welcome to chime in. Don’t be shy!

[peachymom1]

Good morning everyone! Today I am restarting my week and reaching for the cup of gratitude to get me going. Thank you all for your help and support yesterday. It helps a lot.

Speaking of gratitude…recently, one of my VPs got moved from my department to another one, but instead of losing an executive to support, this VP asked if I would still support her, which I was going to offer to do anyway. (This team lost their executive assistant a year ago and has no budget to hire a successor.) When this VP’s colleagues found out about me, they asked if I would help them too. “We don’t need much, just a few meetings and travel arrangements here and there.” And I’ve been able to keep up with them just fine. But I noticed that this VP stopped thanking me at the end of her emails and instant messages, as she’s always done in the past. I saw her at the happy hour last week, so I finally asked her if I’d done anything to offend her, because she’d always been so appreciative of my effort before, and it didn’t seem like her not to say thank you. She was mortified and immediately reassured me that it wasn’t about me, but that she was so overwhelmed by her new role that she wasn’t even aware of this. She thanked me for pointing it out, because she said that if I noticed it, others probably did too, and she didn’t want to be curt or cross with anybody.

Now that’s a classy executive, IMO. I’m not so fragile that I need to always be thanked for every little thing, but this was a matter of professional courtesy, and I know this woman well enough to know that that matters to her. She’s a great asset to the company.

Here’s a lovely poem about gratitude – it’s an oldie but a goodie!

I Am Thankful For...
By Nancie J. Carmody

I am thankful for...
...the mess to clean after a party, because it means I have been surrounded by friends.
...the taxes I pay, because it means that I'm employed.
...the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat.
...my shadow who watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine.
...a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home.
...the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking.
...my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm.
...all the complaining I hear about our government, because it means we have freedom of speech.
...the lady behind me in church who sings off key, because it means that I can hear.
...the piles of laundry and ironing, because it means my loved ones are nearby.
...the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it means that I'm alive.
...weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been productive.

Thank you all for your participation this week. Have a wonderful weekend, stay cool and hydrated! Shabbat shalom!

[lee058]

Good morning everybody! Hope you're all well and SAFE!

Re today's topic: I'm grateful today that I got my errands taken care of Wednesday and Thursday, so I can stay home and relax. I already did a couple of things for DS, so now I can hang out at the computer.

Have a peaceful day, Lee

[louise]

Well Peachy I am so glad you spoke up to that VP - that was a little tricky to do. I loved her response too, immediately seeing that it probably applied to how she was with others too. Well done!

The poem is great. An interesting twist on gratitude. For some reason it reminds me of my flopped Chagall artwork that shows, in effect, looking through the windows from the other side.

My eating was much more reasonable yesterday and I did an aerobic DVD for the first time in a long time, so there's that. I plan to do the DVD again today - especially now that I know that I can! So things are improving even if not at the pace I had been hoping for.

Thank you for a good week.
Shabbat shalom.

[peachymom1]

Louise, you've inspired me to do a DVD at home today too. I woke up on time to go to the gym this morning, but I had a headache and didn't go. I might go during my lunchtime, but if not, I can definitely do my favorite dance DVD. Thanks for the idea!

[gazelle18]

I love how the poet reframes life’s aggravations!

Not long ago, DH and I were taking a hike. We got a bit lost, and had to backtrack. I was a little grouchy about it. But DH insisted it was “free exercise.”

Thanks Peachy, and good shabbos all.