Birthday Blessings
My sister says that her seminary teacher says,
Author: A Friend
After Arrivals: Advice for the Returning Seminary Graduate
We’re pretty big on giving advice around here ;-). But it’s been a number of years since I came home from seminary, and I’ve thought about the things that would have been helpful to hear at age 19. It’s quite possible that I actually did hear them but just didn’t internalize them at the time. I do remember that that …
My Favorite Part of Being an Adult
Here’s what I love about being an adult: you can do things. Not that you have to do things, but that you have the power to do them if you really want to. If you don’t like your job or your field, you can change it. If you want to ditch everyone and check into a hotel for a week, …
Regret
There was a time this year when I faced serious regret over a decision I had made. That whole tekufah was a huge growth experience for me and required me to stretch my emunah and confront challenges more than I’d been pushed to before. There were some amazing people who supported and comforted me, and helped me recognize that everything …
How To Be an Active Member of Klal Yisroel
Here are some of my reflections on the topic, if you’d like to read… Seek to be mechazek. Lend your ears without interrupting. Share divrei emunah. If you aren’t a source of chizuk, try to become one. Seek to be a positive influence. You are looked up to by more people than you realize, just because you are …
Shabbos Rest
I heard the following from Mrs. Dina Schoonmaker. How do we achieve menuchas hanefesh? We learn it from menuchas Shabbos. No matter what’s going on, we stop doing our work when Shabbos comes and it’s “as if it has already been done” (Rashi). Well, what if it’s not? Say you’re in Israel and you have a business partner in America. …
On Raising Children
The following is another excerpt from Our Bodies Our Souls by Rebbetzin Heller, which I read over Shavuos. I just had to share it here because it is so beautiful. It really speaks to what it is that we want when we say we want to raise families. Any intelligent woman, secular or religious, is no doubt aware of the …
How To Be the Opposite of Boring
A friend of mine told me that that’s what I am 🙂 which I thought was such a nice compliment. These are some thoughts I had on what might make for an interesting person (and an interesting life): Surround yourself with diversity. Go places where you will spend extended time with many kinds of people. Shiurim, workshops, Shabbos meals… …
Lists of 100
Journal writing still going strong, and I just wrapped up reading that book of techniques I keep mentioning. It’s been tons of fun to learn new ways to write and keep the juices flowing. I’ve also been flipping through The Artist’s Way and its sequel, The Vein of Gold, for more ideas, and I want to share some of my …
The Frum-Friendly Guide to European Travel
A whole long while back, I mentioned that I wanted to put together a guide of travel advice, and now I finally have. Hope this is helpful if you’re planning a trip to somewhere new! Planning Brain-dump a list of anything you want to see or do at your destination: recommendations from friends, your bucket list, suggestions from travel …