I went to sleep last night with a lot on my mind.
Sometimes when I need to escape and take a break from something that feels a bit overwhelming, I watch bad TV, or walk the dog, or perhaps play solitaire on my iPad (I love the calming way the cards deal themselves into neat columns). For the really overwhelming things, I might do all three. But the best relief often comes from a good night's sleep. I'm lucky with sleep. I fall asleep fast; the worries recede.
And although I am a morning person, I like to wake up much more slowly than I go to sleep. Sometimes I need to hit the snooze button a few times, and spend the interim moments in the space between sleep and wakefulness. I like lying in a darkened space, letting consciousness slowly seep in. Often there is a cup of coffee waiting next to my bed, courtesy of a thoughtful, extremely early-rising husband. And I often experience in that awakening a new approach to the problem on my mind at bedtime, a quiet dawning of an answer.
Rabbiisa, who blogs at Off the REKord, considers the various calls of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah as a series of spiritual alarm clocks. I think she's on to something. Read her here.
What will the shofar be awakening us for this year?
#blogElul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer, aka Ima on the Bima. The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed.
All month, along with Rabbi Sommer and others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation. Follow Rabbi Sommer on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts. You can follow me on twitter @Vicki_Weber. If you decide to blog yourself, check out the list of daily topics and jump in! Be sure to tag your posts on Twitter and Facebook so they can be included on the stream.
