Day Fourteen, In Which We Acknowledge Time

Two weeks of covering my hair.- Woohoo!

I wanted to take a moment to compare the act of covering my hair to the act of meditation.

Both are done thoughtfully.

Both require a certain amount of awareness for a certain amount of time.

(Similar to ceasing to pay attention to your breath when the moment is through, I cease to pay attention to my hair being covered.)

And both pop up in your mind throughout the day. - How it went, the feeling of it, the thoughts you chose to focus on or let go of. The feeling of Connectivity both with yourself and What Is.

Each time I enter a new space or experience with my hair covered, I become aware of myself once more. Today, we had good weather, and I opted to take my dog for a walk in the neighborhood. Long skirt, hair covered, Star of David flashing in the sunlight, psychotic golden retriever (mostly) at my side. 

I passed two women. Normally, they nod to me when I drive past them. - I only walk when the weather is warm. They crossed to the other side of the street, and it gave me pause. Then I remembered the psycho on the leash.

But then, walking down one of the side streets, we passed two men doing... something... with a truck. They both stopped to look, and I felt worried. Psycho or not, my dog isn't much of a protector unless you have a very real fear of being knocked over and licked.

I began to rationalize to myself what they were seeing and when that didn't calm the knot in my stomach, I imagined that if my last moments came, they would find me with the Shema on my lips. And suddenly, peace came over me because I realized that as I continue to step closer to Hashem, my feeling of peace amplifies. 

Practicing... observing... in the ways that I know I should, the ways that are meaningful, bring me to a greater level of connection both with myself and with my G-d.