July 5, 2009

Simchas Hachayim

A friend of mine recently told me the following: "People think that in order to give an impression of being deep, they have to look sad. Because if they walk around smiling and happy, they look shallow."

Well, I disagree. Really strongly. I think it takes a certain deepness to appreciate all that we have, value it and be grateful for it.Yes, there are terrible things happening to us, right and left, there are a lot of sick people among us, orphans, widows, poor people... the list can go on and on...

Suffering comes in all sizes and shapes - I remember learning that just pulling the wrong coin out of your pocket is suffering - and it happens to all of us.
But guess what, good things come in all different sizes and shapes also. Whether it's your ears, your feet, your veins, or even a fingernail... Whether it's your clothes, the food you eat, the roof over your head or even your friend next door.... just look around and there's so much to see, so much to appreciate, so much to enjoy!
No, we cannot ignore all the pain that surrounds us, the same way we can't ignore all the joy and good things that are part of our life.

And like we know:...לכל זמן ועת, there's a time for everything
...לבכות ועת לשחוק עת ספוד ועת רקוד..., a time to cry and a time to play, a time to lament and a time to dance...

There's room for all of it in our world, we just have to learn to juggle it all!

1 comment:

Something Different said...

I am a firm believer in this. People think my sister is more mature than me, because she is more serious. I personally disagree completely. Yes, I have more of a sense of humor than she does, but I think that using it in the appropriate way is a much greater sign of maturity than not using it at all.