New year. Old stories.

Wrap yourself up
London, ON
February 2012
This photo originally shared on this blog, and on Instagram

It's the Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashanah, today. And I'll apologize now for not joining every other Jew in sending out mass Happy New Year messages via all of my social media channels.

I just don't feel like it.

Don't get me wrong: I want everyone to have a wonderful year. Whatever you are, wherever you come from, and whatever you celebrate, we all deserve happy, full, meaningful productive, healthy, and long lives. And as one of the High Holy Days - aka reeeeally important - on the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah is an awesome opportunity to reflect on the year that's been, and roadmap the year to come. We ask ourselves where we could have done better, and commit ourselves to being better people, to repairing the world. This is all both good and necessary, and it doesn't stop with my people: We should all strive for more.

But here's the thing: I hate all holidays. I can't stand the sanctimony and shallowness of them. Nor do I subscribe to the belief that sending a generic, one-size-fits-all message to your entire contact list somehow ticks the "I was a good person" box in the Great Spreadsheet of Life. We can show up on the correct dates, say the right prayers, adhere to the right rules, click the right boxes, and still fall short. We can still succeed by the letter, but miss the mark when it comes to spirit, soul, meaning.

And will we feel the same tomorrow? Or the next day? Will we fundamentally change ourselves throughout the remaining 364 days of the year? Or will we arrive at the next set of holidays only to send out the same generic messages via social media? Or will the same people still whisper behind everyone else's back when services are done?

Will we all have truly changed for the better? Or will we have simply gone through the motions...again?

Because if that's all there is, then our entire approach to holidays might need a bit of a rethink.

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