Kind, Brave, Curious

Sunday night marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. It’s pretty different from what my husband refers to as the “ten second holiday” that is New Year’s Eve. It’s lots of food (of course), lots of prayer, and lots of reflection on the year that’s gone by in preparation for the year to come.
For the month leading up to Rosh Hashanah, there’s a whole rigmarole you can ascribe to if you wish. Rams’ horns and repentance and other seemingly archaic whatnots are involved. Suffice to say, there’s a whole protocol of preparation that’s kept the impending new year fresh in my mind for a while.
Regardless of whether this Monday is the first day of Rosh Hashanah for you, or it’s just, y’know, Monday, good stuff comes from both reflection and planning.
In thinking back on the year that was and considering what I’d like to bring into the year to come, I landed on three very simple things. Three wishes, or blessings, if you will. Admonitions. Funnily enough, it’s advice I give to my children every day before they head off to school. It’s the advice I need for myself. And it’s what I’ll share with you, here, now.
Be brave.
Be kind.
Ask a good question.
That’s it.
Be brave because the world can’t afford for you not to be. Own who you are and what you’ve got to offer, without apology. Trust yourself. Assume the best in others (until proven otherwise). Courage comes from the same root as the French coeur, heart. Being brave is acknowledging the heart you’ve got, and imbuing that into everything you do.
Be kind because you can. You can always choose to be kind. Not saccharine. Not disingenuous. Not submissive. Not even, in some cases, civil. Kind. (Without losing the bravery. These things work together, you know.) Kindness is good for you. The rest of the world may not deserve it, but you deserve, for yourself, to be kind.
Ask a good question because genuine curiosity is the beginning of everything. Because there are too many people out there wielding exclamation points like swords, unwilling to release them into the subtle bend of inquiry. Because good questions are useful. Because questions build both humility and confidence, in you and in everyone who hears it. Questions, like the kindergarten books we read remind us, help everyone learn.
Those are my three wishes, blessings, for myself, for my children, and for you.
If you’re entering the new year or just a new week, I hope you’ll take them with you.
