Young or Old

     People always say that age is just a number. this is true but not exactly. As it turns out you can't do everything you want to do in life and age can dictate some of that. Fortunately age does not determine everything. Age does not determine one's attitude and surprisingly age does not determine if one is old or one is young. Some people never seem old no matter how old they really are. My grandma lived to be a few months short of 89 and she never seemed old. This is not because she  was my grandma and I loved her, its because she was never old. She was always engaged in the world around her even as she aged and it was harder for her to get around. She was always interested in new things. My father passed away at 74 which is not old but people who did not know him well were surprised to hear he was as old as he was. He was never old. I have met a lot of elderly people who are still quite vibrant. They never got the memo that they should think like an old goat. It is so refreshing. It makes aging less frightening and more exciting. Maybe I am noticing this the older I get the younger old seems. Perhaps that's part of it but not entirely. Many people who are 65 today do not look or act as old as 65 year olds twenty years ago.
     With age one gains perspective and wisdom of what the world is about. 

Women , Rabbis , etc

     Growing up it never bothered me that women were not allowed to be rabbis. I never thought much about it and I was much to shy to ever want to be one. It was kind of like the idea of kol ishah to me. I never really wanted to be a professional singer so kol ishah did not effect me much.
      I never found the women's prayer groups too enticing to me either. Being on the more modern orthodox side I like going to a regular shul and afterward there is a co-ed kiddush. Why would a women's only kiddush be better?
       There are many men who have no interest in being rabbis or chazzanim  and would love not to need to have a minyan to daven.
       Perhaps if I grew up reform or conservative I might feel different, but it never especially bothered me that I could never be an orthodox rabbi or be counted as part of a minyan. I guess I never felt that those things were the pinnacle of Judaism. I always felt that it was wonderful to be a woman and not have to have a minyan to optimally  fulfill the mitzvah of davening.
       I wouldn't say think that everything in Judaism is totally fair for women but for me these are non-issues . Which turns out to be a good thing. I have a few less things to be annoyed about.

Kids these Days

     Lately I have been watching a lot of television. More specifically I have been watching a lot of teenage shows. The more I watch them the more I am glad that I grew up in the era I did instead of in this era. Things have changed so much even in the last ten years. Its not like society was so innocent when I grew up, its just that things are a little too open these days. Its so much pressure. Being frum helps but not entirely . The world around us does seep into the little cocoon of the frum world even as much as we would like not to admit it. Even if one does not pay attention to what is on the small screen the people around us do. People you work with probably do, the people who live near you do.
      I don't think that the world is going back to simpler times any time soon. Once Pandora's box has opened it is impossible to close it.  What a mess.
      

Redemption

    I had  never  heard of the Spanish music festival until I heard that Matisyahu was banned from it unless he supported the BDS movement. Ultimately the ban had lifted and Matisyahu was able to perform.  Matisyahu is Jewish, not Israeli.  None of the other performers were asked to profess their allegiances. This was a music festival not a political pow-wow. Though many frum Jews dismissed Matisyahu for shedding his frum  garb I think that they will probably  band with him again. He stuck to his beliefs and would not sign allegiance with BDS just so he could perform in Spain. Then again, he really did not have a choice. The BDS mumbo jumbo was just a front for straight up anti semitism. Matisyahu is no fool. I think that it is quite brave of him to perform his song JERUSALEM during his Spanish concert while pro Palistinian flags flailed in the background.
    This has all happened during Elul. Matisyahu was given the chance to really step up despite his spiritual re-evaluation during the past few years. The frum people who were disappointed with him for not being "one of us" anymore were able to feel pride for him again . None of this would have happened if all the drama from BDS support of the Spanish music festival had not surfaced. I guess something good did happen from something bad. Too bad something bad has to happen to perpetuate something good. Are people always so juvenile? 

Matisyahu - Jerusalem (Out Of Darkness Comes Light)

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Savor the Moment

      The hardest thing in life is knowing when to savor the moment. Sometimes it's obvious. Other times it's not. Then again one must savor it without getting stuck in it. Sometimes it's hard to savor the moment but not get stuck in it. Life must be lived. Even when one is confident in one's choices one can't do EVERYTHING. That is why every moment must be lived consciously.

Chocolate Chips

      So many people think that kosher food does not taste good. I hate this stereotype so on my quest to break stereotypes I brought a chocolate chip challah from Breadsmith in Brooklyn to work for my Jewish and gentile co-workers. To my pleasant surprise my co-workers, Jewish and gentile were wild about the chocolate chip challah to the point that they are always asking me to get  them  chocolate chip challahs from Breadsmith . The Brooklyn location is the only one that has chocolate chip  challah.  I say mission accomplished.

Teasing Many Years Later...

     People often wonder what one would have done in situations in the past had they known then  what they  know now. Other times you get to experience a similar situation years later and you recognize its the same thorn in your side from years ago in different packaging. 

     I  recall being teased by the "cool" boys in summer camp. I found it upsetting and  since I was on the shy side they managed to irritate me immensely without much backlash from me. Flash forward years later there are single men who think they are Mr. Cool  who like teasing me. This time around I don't let them get away with it.  Its a bit sad though. When I was younger I thought they were cool and now I realize that they really were not as mean as I thought they were they were just immature. Now I realize how immature they still are and I have little patience for those types. I guess things can change. I am no longer the victim.

Annoying

      Have you ever met anyone who always has an upbeat disposition and NOTHING ever gets them upset. I mean nothing? I have . I hate to admit that I find it beyond annoying . I even feel a bit guilty for feeling this way. I  guess its hard to imagine not ever being bothered by anything and always , always being upbeat. I did not think it was possible to be that upbeat all of the time. Until I met someone like this. It makes me feel like a curmudgeon, which I never thought  I was.