Stop & Smell the Roses

Today I was busy. Good busy. Rushing from house to house, I was delivering "Mishloach Manot" - gifts of food that are given out to friends on the holiday of Purim. During this frantic travel, as I rushed to complete my stops before the 5pm Megillah reading, something hit me: "It was Purim!" Time to smile and celebrate; rejoice! It got me thinking. Too often we're not living in the moment. Either we're working to complete something, thinking and planning ahead, looking forward to future endeavors. But isn't that good? Aren't we supposed to always be challenging ourselves, not being satisfied with where we're at or what we've accomplished? Why focus on the now?

Of course, Judaism stresses effort and constant progress. Yagata, u'matzata - Ta'amin - "If he has toiled, and found (succeeded) - believe him." As beings who are alive, placed on this earth with a mission, we must constantly grow. All living things must grow. However, Judaism also stresses how vital it is for us to live in the moment. The emphasis on time is seen throughout the Torah. The holiday of Sukkot is "Z'man Simchatchem" - the time of our joy, Passover is "the time of our freedom." G-d tells us to live in the moment, enjoy the journey as well, not just the goal. Utilize the preciousness of this moment, a time with its own unique spiritual energy, one that won't come back the same ever again. Purim this year isn't Purim of next year. Take advantage. If we're only looking ahead all of the time, then we never experience life to its fullest.

As with most everything in life, it seems that a good balance is needed here. We must always improve ourselves; our character traits and how we relate to others, refining ourselves and never being satisfied with what we've accomplished until now. But we mustn't forget to sometimes do the exact opposite. It's healthy and correct to enjoy the fruits of our labors, taking pride in what we've accomplished. Enjoy the moment and where you're at right now in life. On a more micro level, enjoy the moment of the month or the week. That's the idea of Shabbat. Enclose yourself in a 24 hour cocoon of tranquility. Yes, G-d created for 6 days. But on the 7th, He simply enjoyed what he had created. In life we must be on the move. But like G-d, we must learn to stop and smell the flowers, enjoy our present situation and those around us, forget the future and revel in the now. And then we will be revitalized to approach the future.

Shabbat Shalom!