26 November 2007 - 10:03Thanksgiving Shabbat

Thanksgiving appears to be modeled on the mitzvah of hakarat ha-tov, recognizing what’s good and pointing it out with gratitude. I’m not sure how, but I don’t recall it being mentioned when I went to Hebrew school in the 1960’s, that it is a Jewish spiritual practice to make a point, not just on Thanksgiving, but throughout every day, of seeing what is good around us and acknowledging it. Sounds simple enough, but isn’t always.

What a joy to be around folks who are naturals at seeing the good in the world. My mother, before Alzheimer’s erased her mind was such a deeply nice person. There’s a book I heard mentioned on NPR, The Power of Nice, have ordered a copy. Why dwell on this? Let me ask you a question, have you ever lost your power of nice? When does that happen to you? I mean other than during hormonally challenged times.

Last year, when a collision of responsibilities became overbearing, I hit the wall hard and fell into deep despair and exhaustion and wasn’t able to be sustainably nice somehow. Interesting to reflect on it now - too much work, too much multitasking, too many emotional issues with ill parents, sister with cancer, husband living in another city then. Too much makes for a less nice Goldie.

Only have had experience of this excruciating state of being once before, a few months after initiating divorce from my first husband. These experiences were both followed by a kind of therapeutic despair/depression that burns through resistance to needed change. Work changes, residency changes, eating and exercise changes, priority changes.

So grateful for the human capacity to go into dark nights of the soul and emerge into the light. Learned a lot. Life, keyn ayin harah, is good.

What a turkey I’d been, with no slur meant to these real turkeys I encountered in Costa Rica last year.

Just for now, life is so deeply good even with all the sad things still happening among friends, family and the world.

Meanwhile, we’re heading to visit all around Puerto Rico for three weeks soon and wondering if there are any Jews in Rincon with whom to celebrate Hanukkah? After Hubbatzin Barry took these pics in Costa Rica when we were there last year the furious turkeys eventually chased me up the fence of their corral and the farmer rescued me. Gotta love barnyard adventure! Turkey in Hebrew, fyi, is Hodu, which also means “praise”. Happy Holiday - Hodu LaShem