Life is Fragile

Life is Fragile

by | Sep 8, 2021 | Parenting Adolescents, Trending, Tween Times

We live our lives with the best intentions to honor ourselves as well as those we care about and love. At the same time, we are imperfect humans who make mistakes. We do things we are not proud of and regret. We know we blow it! On the bright side, our missteps and fumbles need not weigh us down.

My Jewish friends celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, this week. One tradition is Tashlich. Believers take a bit of bread and toss it into a body of water. The metaphor is that the bread represents personal sins of the past year and releasing them. It’s not a get out of jail-free-card to avoid reconciling with others, rather an opportunity to learn from mistakes, gain insight, and experience self-forgiveness. It’s a fresh start to the new year. 

With the 20th anniversary of 9 -11 nearing, we prepare to honor those we lost and remind ourselves that we came together as a nation for the greater good and love of our country. The sudden and unexpected events warn us that time is not endless. Life is fragile. We need to spend time with those we love celebrating the extraordinary place they hold in our hearts.

Now’s the time, too, to reach out to those with whom we have a strained relationship and apologize. I’ve done this so I can vouch for the beauty of letting go of hubris, asking for forgiveness, and welcoming back connections with people who I love deeply and love me. Don’t wait. Life is shorter than it seems, and you don’t want to miss out on loving and being loved.

 

 

©JoAnn Schauf, MS, LLC Your Tween & You  2021 All rights reserved