Dear all,
Both Maya and Eli have been fighting the flu over the past week. It’s a nasty bug this year with fevers that go down, but then rise up again 15 hours later.
Thankfully, they are on the mend.
Each time their temperature went up, we responded with a combination of cool towels, soothing music, Tylenol/ Motrin and chocolate milk. (Please don’t judge! They just needed something sweet!)
Sigh – as I think about the many issues in our country and our world, with the political temperature seeming to rise to unprecedented levels, I think that we need to consider the same approach:
Rather than respond to heat with heat, rather than allowing ourselves to get caught in the vortex – we need a cooling off period.
We need to refresh our minds.
We need to soothe our hearts.
We need to lower the fever.
And we need sweetness.
It’s not about escaping reality or avoiding important issues. It’s about taking a moment in time to rid ourselves of the viruses that are infecting our spirits.
It’s about grounding ourselves with the values we honor.
So when the temperature goes up, let’s bring it down – then move forward.
With love and shalom,
Rabbi Zach Shapiro
