The three children, two five year old boys and a three year old girl, stood before the menorah in rapt silence, watching as I lit the shamash and then the candles for the fifth night of chanukah.
Happy Hannukah! To all the introverts rising. I’m right behind you, and have just spent a blissful week in my quiet little barn-lette in the countryside. In front of the fire. Writing ✍️ digesting the year, drawing my heart.
It's interesting how the discovery of introversion seems to come with some pain. I imagine that's because the world looks on us with such incomprehension. I'm enjoying the process of getting to know myself better.
Thank you, Susie. I can only imagine the ripples across and beyond the lives of these rowdy eleven family members that sharing in Chanukah with you has/will have, especially that there you sit in the corner of the sofa patient with the final flicker then disappearing smoke of each candle.
So beautiful Susie.......thank you for the time you take to express the most ephemeral thoughts and feelings with such delicious accuracy....love you and your writing. A beautiful New Year to you.
I'm so glad to hear from you. I think you nailed it...my writing, that is. I try to capture thoughts and interior experiences that are floating by and give them tangible substance, somehow. A sweet, sweet new year to you, too.
Well he definitely won’t sign on to that. Not sure what he’ll do. Not talking about it much. I’ll share your thoughts when the time seems right. As an atheist, I’m not helpful. I don’t get any of it.
I don't think this has much of anything to do with belief or lack of belief. It's about tribal identity which is often associated with trauma and the perceived need for self-preservation.
… old wounds don’t have to fester. The festering can blow out with the candles. Forgiving ourselves for their opportunities to fester is a great place to start, I suspect. What do you say, Susie?
I need that to be more explicit. Are you saying we can learn from the festering? I'm not quite in that place. I can learn from the naming of wounds but the festering can be overwhelming.
I’ll try this. The festering can blow out with the candles on the menorah that you wrote about. Then there’s the great pleasure of feeling them dissolving like candle smoke.
Lucky Lady—to be surrounded by your family in both your homes. We didn’t celebrate this year. Hal’s choice. Does being Jewish make him Israeli? Your thoughts?
NO. Israel is a political entity formed in 1948. Jewish culture is ancient and exists in different forms all over the world. Also there is a deep and time-honored tradition on the Left of Jewish anti-Zionism. Hal might want to explore what parts of Judaism resonate with him. He doesn’t have to sign on to the Israeli project.
Thank you so much, Susie! Like you, I hate to miss the candle going out. It’s always a quieter moment. Thank you for the color and beauty and introspection. I feel right at home.
I can't put into words why for the first time in my adult life I couldn't bring myself to acquire and then light the box of candles. But like you, I always enjoyed the burn-out. If I missed it, I felt like that character in GREAT GATSBY who intends to mark the longest day of the year and then realizes it has passed and she's missed it.
Just yesterday I saw someone use "amazing" or "amazement" as you use it in your reference to your essay collection each week. Even though I can't find the text I read yesterday, it made me think of you and your use of that word!
Back to the candle lighting: at least I don't have to scrape off the melted wax this year.
The wax is there to remind us that nothing is without effort. We turned on the TV
9-ish to catch the ball dropping in Times Square and discovered that it was 9:01 and we had missed the whole thing. Glad you're with me in amazement whatever time it is.
Happy Hannukah! To all the introverts rising. I’m right behind you, and have just spent a blissful week in my quiet little barn-lette in the countryside. In front of the fire. Writing ✍️ digesting the year, drawing my heart.
It's interesting how the discovery of introversion seems to come with some pain. I imagine that's because the world looks on us with such incomprehension. I'm enjoying the process of getting to know myself better.
Just a quiet thank you for doing you "out loud," so I/we can eavesdrop and be enriched.
You picked up on text being a conversation without eye contact. Thank you! The further I "retreat," the more I count on my readers to find me.
Thank you, Susie. I can only imagine the ripples across and beyond the lives of these rowdy eleven family members that sharing in Chanukah with you has/will have, especially that there you sit in the corner of the sofa patient with the final flicker then disappearing smoke of each candle.
So beautiful Susie.......thank you for the time you take to express the most ephemeral thoughts and feelings with such delicious accuracy....love you and your writing. A beautiful New Year to you.
I'm so glad to hear from you. I think you nailed it...my writing, that is. I try to capture thoughts and interior experiences that are floating by and give them tangible substance, somehow. A sweet, sweet new year to you, too.
Well he definitely won’t sign on to that. Not sure what he’ll do. Not talking about it much. I’ll share your thoughts when the time seems right. As an atheist, I’m not helpful. I don’t get any of it.
I don't think this has much of anything to do with belief or lack of belief. It's about tribal identity which is often associated with trauma and the perceived need for self-preservation.
… old wounds don’t have to fester. The festering can blow out with the candles. Forgiving ourselves for their opportunities to fester is a great place to start, I suspect. What do you say, Susie?
I need that to be more explicit. Are you saying we can learn from the festering? I'm not quite in that place. I can learn from the naming of wounds but the festering can be overwhelming.
I’ll try this. The festering can blow out with the candles on the menorah that you wrote about. Then there’s the great pleasure of feeling them dissolving like candle smoke.
Lucky Lady—to be surrounded by your family in both your homes. We didn’t celebrate this year. Hal’s choice. Does being Jewish make him Israeli? Your thoughts?
NO. Israel is a political entity formed in 1948. Jewish culture is ancient and exists in different forms all over the world. Also there is a deep and time-honored tradition on the Left of Jewish anti-Zionism. Hal might want to explore what parts of Judaism resonate with him. He doesn’t have to sign on to the Israeli project.
Thank you so much, Susie! Like you, I hate to miss the candle going out. It’s always a quieter moment. Thank you for the color and beauty and introspection. I feel right at home.
I really appreciate your tell me that. As I said, I'm new at introversion. It's unfamiliar but I think I like it!
I can't put into words why for the first time in my adult life I couldn't bring myself to acquire and then light the box of candles. But like you, I always enjoyed the burn-out. If I missed it, I felt like that character in GREAT GATSBY who intends to mark the longest day of the year and then realizes it has passed and she's missed it.
Just yesterday I saw someone use "amazing" or "amazement" as you use it in your reference to your essay collection each week. Even though I can't find the text I read yesterday, it made me think of you and your use of that word!
Back to the candle lighting: at least I don't have to scrape off the melted wax this year.
The wax is there to remind us that nothing is without effort. We turned on the TV
9-ish to catch the ball dropping in Times Square and discovered that it was 9:01 and we had missed the whole thing. Glad you're with me in amazement whatever time it is.
Resonate deeply with the first line in your response. "Nothing is without effort." Believe it and appreciate its significance.
Would love to hear more about how you see the significance of the effort.
you paint a beautiful, vivid scene....happy introverting! It's an art I've finally almost perfected after just, ahem, 68 years.
Any and all pointers appreciated.
mainly, listening deeply to my body sense as to where I am drawn...
Nice read many layered.
The layers are always there for the digesting, don't you think?