Three in One

This past week was crazy and this is the week before finals so please excuse my incredibly not-kept-up-with blog.

Day 114: The Nameless Person Behind the Counter

A few years ago as a young teenager, I went shopping with one of my friends. We didn't necessarily plan on buying anything as we didn't have a lot of money to spend, but we liked to try things on and show them to each other. As we were bringing a pile of clothes for each of us into the dressing rooms, we were yelled at by the woman who was in charge of cleaning out the dressing rooms from the clothing previous customers had tried on and left in there.

At the time, I was very hurt and offended by what she said to us. However, now I understand that it might not have been our fault, she may have been overworked, tired, or possibly forgotten as "that person behind the counter." If my friend and I had taken a step back [or read this book], we would have realized that to act as though we had the intention of buying clothing was misleading or may have been a less than positive action to carry out in front of someone who doesn't get a lot of credit for the work they do. She's a person too.

Day 115: Acts of Kindness (1): Looking Backward

Every morning in my minyan back in high school, I had a favorite section of our opening prayers:

These are the precepts for which a person is rewarded in this world and whose principal reward is preserved for him/her in the World-to-Come. They are:

honoring one's father and mother;

performing deeds of kindness;

early attendance at the House of Study morning and evening;

providing hospitality to guests;

visiting the sick;

participating in making a wedding;

accompanying the dead [to the grave];

concentrating on the meaning of prayers;

bringing peace between fellow men;

and the study of Torah is equal to them all.

It was suggested in today's section that we take a moment to think about these instances separately by choosing a single moment when we fulfilled each one and reflect on our individual experiences fulfilling each one; how did I feel?

• Honoring one's father and mother: there isn't one instance I can think of, I try to honor my parents by calling them a few times a week and working hard in school to show my appreciation for their generosity in paying tuition.
• Performing deeds of kindness: last week, one of my teachers entered our lecture hall on crutches. Without thinking about it, I brought her a chair from the back of the room. People kept saying "aww" and things of that nature but I wasn't really interested in their reactions, I more felt like I'd done something that needed doing and helped my teacher to feel more comfortable.
• Early attendance at the House of Study morning and evening: it's been a while since I had this opportunity, but I was always in Talmud class early!
• Providing hospitality to guests: when there are people at my house for any reason, I try my best to talk to each individual one.
• Visiting the sick: when my great great aunt was in the hospital, we went to visit her every other day or something along those lines. I felt uneasy but hoped she felt better after seeing us.
• Participating in making a wedding: my cousin asked me to be a junior bridesmaid in her wedding, that was fun. I was honored, and I got a pretty dress so I was happy.
• Accompanying the dead to the grave: this year I've attended 2 separate burials. I'd rather not talk about this here.
• Concentrating on the meaning of prayers: every week for Kabbalat Shabbat, my favorite service, I read the English interpretations as we move through the prayers because I think they're so beautiful.
• Bringing peace between fellow men: I have a friend who tends to have changes in mood very frequently. When she is angry, I try to give her perspectives so she might know what others are thinking
• Torah study: I try. Really.

Day 116: Acts of Kindness (2): Looking Ahead

I should really choose at least two of the ones above and carry them out today. I'll let you know how it goes on Thursday night.