Spirituality Blog

This week I spent some time exploring the Psalms of King David. In our group on Wednesday, we discussed Psalms 1. This is one of my all time favorite Psalms. It doesn't follow the format of many of David's other poems about and to G-d and I think what really draws me is the simplicity of it. I memorized it when I was 8 years old and it has popped into my mind countless (literally) times in the 40 years since. It says:

This Psalm carries so much meaning with it. It is at once a roadmap for living, a source of hope, a warning, a beautiful metaphor, a convicting message. On the one hand, it seems so simple - don't associate with the wicked and you will prosper and be blessed and happy. Oh, were it only that simple! 

Each of us live complex lives that intersect with countless other complex lives. I have my family, my friends, my work, my religious community, the community that my children belong to, the people I interact with as I go about the movements of daily existence. I am impacted daily by people I never even see or meet - either because of their influence on my world politically or socially or even because of their influence on other people who move in and out of my life. It can all be incredibly overwhelming to think about.  

And yet, maybe the answer really IS that simple. Let's pick apart verse 2. I'm going to personalize it here: My delight is in the law of the LORD and in [that] law I meditate day and night. Some may look at that and say, "I'm not going to sit and study and meditate on Torah day and night." Well it brings me joy and a measure of relief to say - you don't have to. G-d's basic laws are not complicated. They all start with the 10 Commandments and go out from there. And most of them boil down to one thing - BE KIND. Be kind to yourself, be kind to others, be kind to the world we live in, be kind to the animals we share it with, be kind to those who are suffering, be kind even to those who are wicked. It is how we live in this world and how we interact with people around us that truly matters. The righteous person is a kind person, a loving person, a true person. 

I've always wondered why in truth, I only really memorized (for any length of time) the first 3 verses of Psalm 1. I could never remember the wicked part. Maybe that's because my focus should be on the reward of the righteous life. If I live a righteous life, even when I encounter the people who are not such, I will automatically respond in a righteous way. It creates a knee jerk reaction that pushes me to respond appropriately and not be thrown off track. 

As you move through this week, may you be kind to your self first and foremost and kind to the people around you as a consequence of your self-care. 

CLICK HERE for this week's guided meditation.

As you continue working on your timelines, you might find that you have people, places or things that don't seem to fit into a "time". Don't worry about that. Just create the sticky note for each of those items. They will fall naturally into a place as we continue our journey together.