God's To-Do List

I am reading and implementing the advice in the book, God's To-Do List by Dr. Ron Wolfson. The book provides 103 ways to do God's work based on 10 categories: Create, Bless, Rest, Call, Comfort, Care, Repair, Wrestle, Give, and Forgive. What I like most about this book is that it is action-based. For me, the beauty of religion is when you incorporate it into your daily life; you use its influence to guide your daily actions. My dad taught me never think that going to a synagogue makes you a good person. It's how you act every day in life that determines whether you are a good person or not.

God's To-Do List is an easy-to-read book with advice that is easy to implement in your life. It's worth a read.

Schedule Time With Yourself

We live in a fast-paced world fueled by email, tweets, appointments; we are always on the go. But where are we going? As my dad use to say, "We are in a rush to go nowhere." Certainly most of us know where we are going but we still need to schedule time with, not for, ourselves.

It is easy to schedule time for ourselves. This can include making time to go to our favorite coffee shop, to see the movie we want to see, go to a sporting event, and so on. Scheduling time with ourselves requires more effort because we need to communicate with ourselves. We need to take time and think about what we are doing and how we want to progress. The good thing is that this does not need to be a time-intensive activity.

One way to accomplish this is to journal. Forget about blogging, updating your Facebook status, or tweeting. Take pen and paper and write down your thought at the beginning or the end of the day. Write about the goals you accomplished and those that you didn't. Write about how your day went. Don't worry about how well your thoughts are crafted; only you are the reader of this journal.

Take time in your day to think to ensure what you are doing is necessary and if so, how you do it is done the best way possible. Don't worry about being first to get something done; be first to think and get it done correctly the first time.

Shut off your cellphone during lunch. Use that time to get in touch with your self. Scheduling a short walk is a great way to have some time with yourself.

Take time to nurture yourself and your soul and you will enrich your life and those that you interact with on a daily basis. Schedule some time with yourself.

Make Shabbos Personal

Shabbos is the Ashkenazi word for Sabbath or Shabbat in Hebrew. This day is a day of rest; it is a time for reflection. As our world becomes "always connected", time for rest and reflection is very important.
People are addicted to their cellphones, laptops, and other technologies. We constantly check our email, take phone calls at all times of the day and night, and we text and Facebook constantly. These technologies and services are important but are they that important that they consume our lives?

I want to encourage people to join me in my "Make Shabbos Personal" campaign. You do not have to be Jewish or be religious. The goal is simply to encourage people to schedule some time each day for themselves. Shut off your cellphone during lunch. Use that time to read a magazine or book, or to just reflect and relax. Keep your weekends email and Facebook free; spend time with family and friends. For the spiritual or religious person, take some time for a spiritual workout. Say a prayer, read from the Bible or other religious books, and most importantly, "live the Bible" - take time and act as the Bible tells you to live your life.

My dad always said that people are in a rush to go nowhere. Deadlines are important but so are your health, your well-being, and your quality of life. Schedule some time for yourself.

Please share your thoughts with me.

The Story of Creation

I am reading the novel The Shape Shifter. It is an interesting and entertaining book by the great mystery writer Tony Hillerman. This mystery includes the Navajo creation story. This got me thinking about the creation stories of different religions and other cultures. Please share your creation stories and thought with me.

Yarmulke Project - Short Post

Day 3 of the Yarmulke Project was uneventful which is the way it should be. Today was the first day I wore the yarmulke to work. The students and teachers didn't mind. Naturally, some were curious but nothing out of the ordinary.

One of my Muslim students wants a yarmulke. We are going to swap - he will give me a set of Muslim prayer beads for a yarmulke.

I'll write about this project from time to time but since it is becoming uneventful, except for personal thoughts, I'll return to blogging about other topics.

Personal Thoughts - The Yarmulke Project

Today is the second day I'm wearing my yarmulke all day whether at home or in public. When I went to the nursing home to visit my dad, one of the care workers asked me what I was wearing. She guessed it was something to do with religion and Judaism. I told her; she liked it.

I like wearing the yarmulke. It makes me think before I speak and think how I behave. It is a small symbol that reminds me about behavior and ethics. I could easily see myself extending the period beyond 30 days. It might become a permanent part of my wardrobe.

I'm glad that this project is uneventful from the point of view that people would stare and make an issue of this. It shows that we are becoming a accepting society.

The Yarmulke Project - Day 1

I began wearing a yarmulke in public today. My neighbors and I joked about it since they have never seen me wear one.

I set two rules for this project.

1. I will wear the yarmulke every day for at least 30 days regardless of where I am whether it at work, shopping, the local coffee shop, etc.
2. Since the yarmulke is a reminder of God, I will act respectfully when I'm wearing it. If someone gives me a dirty look I'll smile, if somebody says an anti-Semitic remark, I'll smile.

My first public appearance was at the supermarket, MarketBasket in Chelsea. A few people gave me strange looks but I just smiled and that diffused the awkwardness. This  MarketBasket includes a small cafe. After I finished my lunch, I saw an elderly lady sitting a few tables away from me. She was sitting with a gentleman who I presume was a volunteer who drove her to different places, helped her with her food shopping, etc. As I approached their table I could hear the lady saying that of course he's Jewish and the gentleman saying he's not, he doesn't look Jewish.

The lady asked me if I were Jewish. I replied that I was. She smiled. She asked me if I were from Germany. I said that I wasn't, my grandparents were from Lithuania and Poland. Her eyes opened with excitement and she smiled more enthusiastically. I asked her if she were from Poland or Lithuania.

She wasn't; she was from Algiers and she now lives in East Boston. Her father was a very pious man who wanted to be a Rabbi. She was so happy to see a Jew at least one wearing an article of clothing that would define him as a Jew. I brought back some pleasant memories and maybe made her feel a little more at home.