Shanah tovah! I hope everyone had a sweet New Year so far. We rocked ours with apples and agave and my husband’s Southern great-grandma’s cornbread stuffing. Yum.
The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the Days of Teshuva, or returning, as we customarily take this time to ask for forgiveness from those we may have harmed this past year. Besides those phone calls of
teshuva
, here’s what else is on my mind these 10 days.
The Emmys
That’s right: the Emmys are this Sunday, September 23. Right smack between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I have to prepare a speech in case I win (although I’m sure I won’t), finish fitting the dress with various choices of gloves, bandages, and splints, finalize jewelry, and paint my nails and toes (I hate manicures and intend to do it myself or with a friend’s help). There are some SWAG events where I hope to score my husband something nice since his birthday falls on Friday amidst all the pre-Emmy madness.
The Hand
I go to occupational hand therapy three times a week. I see my hand surgeon once a week. I see a chiropractor twice a week. I get acupuncture and Craniosacral Therapy once a week. I do hand exercises every two waking hours. I give myself treatments three times a day which take 15 minutes. As you can see, this hand rehabilitation is a full time job and since the last three days of this week are work-free, I will be able to go to all of my appointments without also rehearsing lines for The Big Bang Theory!
Keter Avot
There is a Jewish custom to visit our parents’ graves between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It’s called Keter Avos. My parents are still alive, but my mother’s parents are buried near Los Angeles and I was very close to them. As I have done in the past once or twice, I will be attending the memorial service (“Free refreshments before in the courtyard!,” says the flier) for my grandparents the morning of the Emmys. It’s going to be a bit of a tight squeeze, since I have to start getting ready for the Emmy ceremony at noon (I have to arrive downtown at 3 for the red carpet), but I want to do it. I have to. I want to remember where I came from, and I want to be reminded that although being nominated for an Emmy is awesome and mind-blowing, we all are mortal, and we all stand on equal ground when our time comes.
I’m sorry to sound so morbid, but I’m kind of morbid as a default. For me, it’s healthy to remind myself of what’s real, especially this coming Sunday. In the scope of life, every day is precious. We are told in
Pirke Avot
(totally worth getting a nice little English translation of; it’s got lovely and powerful words to live by) to repent one day before your death, thus encouraging us to live everyday is gratitude and teshuva (repentance), savoring the preciousness that is life itself.
Sunday will be precious, but now you know that it won’t only be because I’m nominated for an Emmy.
Before catching Mayim on TV this Sunday, read up on how she chose her dress, what jewelry she’ll be wearing, and the scoop on conflict-free diamonds.