Beating Back Bad

This week's parsha discussed a lot of mitzvahs, or laws.  It's a custom between me and my row partner to read the short Chassidish explanations in the Torah reading.  One of the explanations discussed the yetzer hara, or the evil inclination, and how it hides itself behind what makes you feel good.

Like today, when I has just about done reading Psalms, and realized it was time for the Shabbat class for women.  I looked at the clock, and said to myself, even if I get dressed and Ieave the house right now, I'll never make it in time. . .

I knew it was the bad in me choosing not to make the right choice, justifying it with staying home and finishing Psalms.  But I gave into myself, finished the reading, and was just about to sit down for a late lunch when there was a knock at the door.

This is not the first time my dear friend D saved me from myself, and I pray it won't be the last.  That's right, D came unexpectedly to pick me up for the class, and we went.

Sometimes it takes friends to help us beat back the bad.  Thank G-d for friends.

It's All Good Again

I've been having some troubles at work lately, and this Shabbat, when I know we should be thinking holier thoughts, I decided to share my dilemma with friends.  One good friend, in particular, also had her stories of woe.

After davening (prayer), the women in my shul gather around for a a shuir, or lecture, usually given by one of us.  This Shabbat we had a visitor speak, a much beloved woman who always has a smile and a kind word.  She looked at both my friend and I, surely by coincidence, and said, in essence, even if you have negative thoughts, you have to think positive because if you do, the outcome will be positive.  We both got wide eyed over that one.

Later, as I was walking back from another shuir with another dear friend, who should I see but a former boss, the first sighting in years, bringing me back to a happier time in my life..  Later on that night, I bumped into another old friend, reminding me of another miracle (she's the star of the tale I told here some years back about starting a Jewish club on campus).

Altogether, the three were good signs.  Something good, something miraculous will happen.  I just know it.

Getting The Message

My treadmill broke (actually, it was a friend's treadmill that she let me borrow forever), so I've taken to walking a little over 2 miles in the morning around my neighborhood.  I alternate my routes every other day, and try to keep upright (yup, I fell earlier this week, but because G-d loves me, no one was driving by to see the graceful event ).

Knowing about my walking expeditions, a dear friend invited me to join her hiking on Sundays - up a mountain.  My daily hikes are on flat land, so after a few outings on the mountain, I realized I needed knee braces and now make them part of my daily routine.

Well, this dear friend decided to have a party at her home for all the birthday girls of summer - including me. I told another dear friend who was going to remind me so I wouldn't miss it.

My reminder came the night of the party from my other dear friend.  I could barely make out what she was saying as she was eating food - at the party itself.  Hello, I told her, it doesn't count as a reminder to call me from the party.

I guess it doesn't matter.  I ended up at the party all the same (truly only because she called), and had a great time.  No matter when and how it was delivered, I got the message all the same.

A Day Of Hope

Today is Gimmel Tammuz - the day, 20 years ago, that the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, a guiding light for so many, passed away.  Here's a thought for the day:

Connecting	Tammuz 3, 5773 ·June 11, 2013
Based on letters and talks of the Rebbe, Rabbi M. M. Schneerson

A true master of life never leaves this world
—he transcends it, but he is still within it.
He is still there to assist those who are bonded with him with blessing and advice, just as before, and even more so.
Even those who did not know him in his corporeal lifetime can still create with him an essential bond.
The only difference is in us:
Now we must work harder to connect.

In The Nick of Time

Anyone who reads this blog knows I love the "Hand of G-d" stories that happen to me.  I don't know if someone else experiencing what I experience would see the outcome as a sign of G-dliness, but truth is, I can't help it.

Like today.  My boss needed me to update our clinical care manual, but despite being ordered several weeks ago, it still hadn't arrived.  Quite frankly, I've been so busy doing my job that I hadn't notice, and failed to track the package.

Not to fear, my boss assured me.  She will copy it for me and all I have to do is update it for presentation and approval.  But guess what showed up in the 2 pm mail today?  The updated manual, of course.

On the very same day I needed it.  Now, if that wasn't G-d, who was it?

Another Interesting Experience

Ever since I gave up riding the bus for the privacy of my own car (and loneliness), my interesting interactions with fellow citizens has been reduced to my patients at the psychiatric hospital and staff.  Which is another reason why I've been eating Rice Dream Ice Cream by the gallon.  Daily.

And nothing goes better with Rice Dream than sprinkles.  It's been rather hard for me to have enough sprinkles on hand to keep up with my ice cream intake.  And I'm kinda particular.  I don't like the crunchy sprinkles, I do like them multicolored, and I like mass quantities of them.  Hence, my trip to Pavilions.

Pavilions is another version of Vons, which is another version of Ralphs, which is another version of Albertson's.  To me, all supermarkets are the same, more or less, and I visit whichever one is on my way home or to some other destination.  There are definitely food deserts in my city, but not where I live.  It's the choice, and keeping up with the specials, that is the problem.

I went to Pavilions for one thing, and one thing only - sprinkles. But I had to check to see if they sell Rice Dream Ice Cream - so far I've only found it at the healthy food stores (how ironic).  I didn't find the Rice Dream in the freezer, but I found something else.

A man's wallet, with a stack of dollars on top of it, the outer one a $10 bill.  Oh baby, I thought.  Someone crazier than me!  So I grabbed the wallet and cash and went to the manager's station to turn it in.  There was a sweet, young Hispanic employee there, and I asked her to get me the manager.  She got all wide-eyed, went to the phone, and paged the manager.  We waited and waited.  She paged again.

I looked at her and asked if he was coming.  She got kinda scared and asked if I had a complaint.  Now I was getting testy.  All I wanted was my sprinkles and I wasn't getting any closer to getting them at this rate.  No dear, I told her.  I found this wallet.

Well, if they had an Olympic event for getting the manager, this gal would win.  Turned in the wallet (apparently a regular), went back to the aisle to get my sprinkles, bought them and went home.

Just a normal day in the life.  Sure wish I had found the Rice Dream instead.

Girls Night Out

Yesterday my dear friend D called and asked if I wanted to go to the movies with her.  I was taken aback - a movie on a school night?  I mean, seriously, I have to get up early.

But it wasn't just any movie, it was an Israeli movie, at an art-house cinema and it started at 8 pm.  The movie is entitled, "Fill The Void," an award winning movie about Haredim (religious Jews) by an actual, self-proclaimed religious Jew.  How could I resist!

I'll tell you how I could resist.  I love Jews, don't get me wrong, but Israeli movies are a little tough to sit through.  In my college heyday I left no foreign film unseen, so the concept of subtitles and different cultural norms doesn't bother me.  But really, I need a movie to make sense or I just get cranky.

In terms of Israeli movies, only a handful actually fall into the "make sense" category.  "Walk on Water," "Ushpezin."  Okay, that's it.  So I didn't hold out much hope that "Fill The Void" would be any better.

It wasn't, but the acting was good and the portrayals were excellent.  I know the actors weren't  frum (the religious tend not to act in movies), so I was quite impressed.  You know a movie has an effect on you when you're still thinking about it the next day.

In fact, my dear friend D called me at work to talk about it this morning, and I stopped what I was doing to chime in.  Oh yeah, I may not have understood everything, but I liked what I saw.

Thanks D, for a great night out.  We promised each other to do this once a month.  Sounds pricey, but the truth is, we got in the movie on the senior discount.  Young people think anybody with a few wrinkles is old.  This movie may have been a drama, but we certainly had the last laugh!