Embracing the Pause!

Recently, my weeks have been packed, and I sometimes forget to slow down or care for myself. While waiting for the train from work, my work and personal phones died. Have you ever thought about what you would do if you were waiting for a train and your phone holding your mobile ticket died? Well, I panicked. The nature of my job necessitates that I use my phone a lot. Sometimes, especially on busy days, I forget to charge it. This specific situation resolved itself due to a nice conductor. However, once I was on the train, another problem arose. What should I be doing for the next 45 minutes? Should I look out the window? Journal?

You might think this is a silly conversation; enjoy being bored, breathing, sleeping, and relaxing. But for a solid minute, I was lost.  I did not know what to do without the technology. After a moment of processing, I decided to meditate and journal. I meditated and realized that sometimes I need to be forced to take a break, slow down, and breathe. I journaled how weird it felt to sit quietly and look out the window.

In this week’s parsha, we continue to read about the tzaras. In everything I have read, Tzaras carries a negative connotation. For example, it would be bad to separate from the community and knock down a house. However, I read that they often found money when Tzaras necessitated that they demolish parts of the house.

To be clear, I am not advocating for getting Tzaras so that someone can potentially find money. What I am advocating for is trusting the process. Sometimes, things seem so bad, yet they turn out so good. There were moments on my ride that did not feel great. Maybe my boss would be calling me, or perhaps a work or personal emergency needed my immediate attention; however, when I slowed down. I realized that I would be okay. These situations are often set before us to teach us a lesson. To help us potentially change our lifestyle slightly. For me, it was my body winning for once. For others, it’s a reminder that Lashon Hara is not great and, therefore, it would be helpful to be careful. Join me this week; let’s take ten minutes on a weekday, shut off our phones, and breathe. I would say, let’s all meet on Zoom, but that defeats the purpose 😉 Also, make sure to keep in mind that while, at the moment, everything seems rough, it will work itself out, so don’t worry!

Good Shabbos

All the best!

Avroham Y Ross