I am a juggler by nature. I multi-task all the time. I juggle the roles of wife, mother, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, friend with varying degrees of success. I always feel busy. There is always a load of laundry that I could be doing, some dishes I could be washing, a dinner I could think about cooking. There is always a phone call I haven’t returned, a deadline I’d love to meet, a book I’d like to read.
Tu B’Shvat is literally the stop and smell the roses holiday. My kids have been traipsing in the house all week with various dried fruits glommed into some sort of sculpture form. They have crowns and awkward plants. And I am happy. I like that in the world of screens (computers, tablets, Wii, TV) that this holiday is all about nature. I love that fruits that my children would never consider eating are suddenly considered delicacies (figs, really?).
So I will be embracing Tu B’Shvat this year. I want to step back from the crazy pace of life and just appreciate outdoors. Judaism often comes with a long list of dos and don’ts. It isn’t often that a holiday is simply a celebration in appreciation of something so basic, wonderful and simple.
What about you? How do you reconnect to basics?
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