The Book of Life

The new year has begun.  The Days of Awe, a time for reflection, self-assessment, and the asking and receiving of forgiveness, are behind us.  The fast of Yom Kippur has come and gone (for another year), and the shofar has blown.

I am struck every year by the beauty of this tradition, which goes back literally centuries.  Assessing the gifts we have, the flaws we balance them with, and the ways to keep balance, harmony, peace, and goodness in our lives, to critically evaluate ourselves and our world, in order to both be grateful and to ask forgiveness is something that we might forget to do if we weren't following this tradition.

I am doing a lot of college level reading these days.  My youngest son is an auditory learner, and needs to listen to all of his assignments for his various college classes, and at this point, my husband and I are doing the bulk of that reading out loud.  I have been reading about cinema for his film analysis class, and there is a lot about philosophy and art wrapped around the readings that focus on the mechanics of writing and producing a quality film.  One of the concepts that struck me was the idea of 'slow film'--in the era of multitasking, where we might be simultaneously writing an essay, texting a spouse, chatting on Facebook with a friend, and emailing, all while listening to music, it made me pause.  The paper was juxtaposing some very slow filming, even filming in slow motion, can reveal things that the fast pace of movies like 'The Bourne Identity' cannot.  There is value in slowing things down, even to the point of what might be considered boredom, in order to better reflect on what brings passion and satisfaction to life.  So, I am taking a moment to reflect as I have a bagel with whitefish salad.