On Joy vs. Happiness
I read the following in Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal, by Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen:
Not Picky
Last week we talked about the pain of rejection, which is so real and present for many of us. At the same time, there is the struggle of being the one to say no yourself, and for some women (wildly raises hand) this is very difficult to do. Like extremely, in some cases (keeps hand raised). Because many of us …
Emotional Contagion and the Other People of Shidduchim
I listened to a really interesting podcast episode about the history of the laugh track. Did you know that hearing a laugh track actually makes jokes seem funnier? That’s because of emotional contagion, the phenomenon where one person’s emotions trigger the same emotions in someone else. That’s also why the headlines we read each day and the images we look …
This Side of Statistics
One of my friends knows to expect a certain text from me every so often: What am I doing wrong? Nothing, you’re doing everything you can be doing. There must be something I’m forgetting. Something. No, you do hishtadlus, you go out, you work on yourself, you have people you talk to. There must be another …
Rejection and Self-Worth
I’ve been meaning to write about this not-so-cheery topic for awhile but I had to get into the right frame of mind. So, let’s talk about putting yourself out there, trying (to get an appointment with a shadchan, to get a date, to date well, to like someone), rejection, maybe repeated rejection, chronic rejection, and the impact on your self-worth. …
More on Shidduch Pictures
Hey, all, hope you’re well. I recently listened to a segment of this Headlines podcast episode, specifically the interview with Tova Weinstein at 1:13:46, and I was cheering every word! I am so grateful to Tova for publicly saying what I (and I’m sure many other women) have been feeling. The points she makes: No matter what assurances people …
Survey Q & A, Yay!
Hey, everyone. Time for part two of the survey review! I opened the floor to questions, and here I’ll answer many of them as best as I can. How old are you? Older than my average reader, apparently! But I started my blog about four years ago, and it’s interesting to me to kind of see the layers of …
Okay — Let’s Talk About Your Feedback!
Thank you to everyone who completed the survey! I enjoyed reviewing them so much and loved every comment! A bit of data: The average age of respondents was 26. The range of ages was 22-33. All the respondents were female and about 90% were in shidduchim. Say hi to each other! The three most popular topics on the …
How Was Pesach?
Hi, everyone. It’s nice to be back here. Thank you to everyone who filled out the survey! If you haven’t already, you still can 🙂 . I read a riveting spy drama over Y”T, The Spy and the Traitor by Ben MacIntyre. Highly recommended! I also read bits and pieces of some other books. I usually like 3-day …
Al Matzos U’Merrorim
The Nesivos Shalom writes that there are three levels of emunah: Emunas hamoach — intellectual belief, I understand that Hashem is in control. Emunas halev — emotional belief, I feel it in my heart. And emunas ha’eivarim — visceral belief, I know it in my bones. Seder night is mesugal for internalizing the third level, emunas ha’eivarim. Matzah …