A Sabbatical, A Hiatus...or as the Locals Say, a Break...

Sorry, folks (if there are enough of you out there that I can use that word liberally), I kinda disappeared. I've been busy (excuses, excuses), but I've also put a lot of value in my quest to maintain the written word. I am a huge, huge journal keeper. I used to have those cheesy journals in middle schools, with the key, where I would talk about how much I crushed on boy X and how I wish boy Y would notice me. In my college and adult years, they've morphed into something more. They're genuinely time capsules, moments in time where you can look back and see exactly how you felt about something; see the emotion in the way you were writing, the quotes you listed, the song you were listening to.

When I first moved to Milwaukee in the fall of 2003, I bought a large, red bound journal. I thought at the time that I would just write and write and fill it. It's massive. I wrote for awhile, got bored and life happened and I found myself logging short updates on life (baby, marriage, etc) and not really exploring the human emotion that journaling sometimes helps emote. So, in a quest to get back into the swing of things, I purchased a three pack of black Moleskine journals and titled each of them (The Journey, Home and Time) In case I was struggling on a particular day or in a week to write an update, I could reflect on my thoughts on the subject at the time. It's been working brilliantly, I've maintained my inspired writing and I feel like I could title a thousand journals and still keep writing.

So, as much as I love to blog and as fast as it to type away, I don't want to disembark from my original journey to capture the little snapshots of life through a pen and paper.....but don't fret, I will remain on here with my musings. You just don't get to read my journals...

Happy New Year!

I know, you're all thinking I'm off my gourd, it's September, right? Well beginning tonight at sundown, Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) begins a 10-day series of very holy days in the Jewish faith. This begins the year 5772, and while it's not as traditionally festive as the New Year's we've all come to love or hate, there is great celebration in having another year under our belts.

What I love about these days is the philosophy behind them. Between Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), you are responsible for making amends, for "cleaning out your closet" of all the bad things you've done, the people you've hurt, the anger you hold on to. Many people reach out to each other in these days, to try and right the wrongs. As the belief goes, if you do this, you'll be added to the "good" book for the year to come, which, let's face it, who wants to be in the bad book?

There's just such a positive message with this. While traditional New Years has become more about parties and resolutions, I feel like Rosh Hashanah is more about bettering yourself by working with others, working on your relationships, working on your self. I can't think of a better time, as fall approaches, to think about the "death" of all the resentment and anger I hold onto and the "birth" and refreshing of a new year.

So, L'Shana Tova! And may you find peace with yourself and with others...