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Taking Things for Granted
Today I was reminded of how lazy I am about paying attention to life. The ordinary falls into a morass of the mundane, and I take many things for granted, even though at some level I know what a gift life is. Still, it’s so easy to trudge through a day, not noticing or enjoying those events and relationships that bless our lives. When I gave my life a bit more thought, I found I could divide my existence into two categories: the everyday and the sacred.
What everyday conditions do I take for granted?
–That my friends will stand by me; yet I don’t remind them very often about how much they mean to me. I take my good health for granted; I exercise regularly, but when my biological system went askew recently, I nearly panicked: I never get sick! (The malady has since disappeared.) And then there are the countless little things that my husband does; I often say thank-you, but if I don’t pay attention, it can be a perfunctory comment.
How do I take the Sacred for Granted?
–By not always saying prayers from my heart. By not expressing gratitude often enough for the blessings in my life. By assuming, at times without humility, that G-d will always love me, no matter how careless and thoughtless I am.
But then there is an error in my definition of taking things for granted: the everyday and the sacred really aren’t separate. I have the choice of bringing the sacred into my relationships; I can express my gratitude with the sanctity it deserves.
Tonight, when I light the Sabbath candles, I will make my best effort to be present, to bring light into my relationships, into my life, into the world.
I want to bring light to my renewed understanding that lighting those candles is not only a ritual in time, but a timeless offering to the world.
I won’t take that moment for granted.
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Well said.
After decades of thick-headedness I am on the verge of wisdom. Simply being grateful as a normal state of being is the quickest and surest way to make the mundane and sacred indistinguishable.
I can’t give this enough likes.
Beautifully said, @oldbathos. I hope that I, too, am on the verge of wisdom. I especially love your last sentence. Thank you.
You are so kind, @joelb. Thank you.
Do that in every moment.
Yes. Making my best effort, not necessarily always being successful, is what counts, isn’t it?
The more you do it, the more successful you become.
Having people in my life like you, @arahant, gives me the strength to keep trying!
Shabbat Shalom 🙂
Thank you, @aardovozz. And shabbat shalom to you. BTW, I am reminded now and then that someone told me that on Shabbat, it was such a gift to wake up from a nap and realize there was nothing that I had to do–wasn’t that you?
Yes. And so true!☺️
I believe many of us fall into this error of compartmentalization. If I am a person of faith, everything, even the most mundane things in life, should be within the realm of the sacred.
Thanks for the reminder, which I often need.
A good week to you and yours!
I am very grateful to Ricochet. Building both relationships and ideas are simultaneously everyday and sacred here.
Shlomo Carlebach was a holy singing rabbi. He composed many melodies to accompany Sabbath prayers.
Here he sings Psalm 95, the first prayer in the service that welcomes the Sabbath.
Please don’t go that far.
He composed a lot of lovely music.
Thank you again for another thought-provoking post.