It’s been over two months since I’ve posted on my “biweekly” blog, and I think that’s okay. What a couple months it’s been. In no particular order, here are some bite-sized reflections from these recent weeks.

• Even introverts have a limit to being at home.
• Greek yogurt mixed with preserved lemon paste (blended preserved lemons, olive oil, and paprika) makes a magical spread.
• Production value matters. It also doesn’t.
• A pandemic is both an equalizer and a revealer of inequality.
• We didn’t need to watch Tiger King. We did.
• The cat sitting on your lap is a legitimate excuse for not doing anything else.
• The length of one’s attention span can be inversely proportional to the time available for focusing.
• “Be exceedingly kind to yourself,” says poet John O’Donohue. Can’t remember which contemporary sage (Parker Palmer, Carrie Newcomer, or Krista Tippett) brought this to my attention recently.
• Speaking of Carrie Newcomer: “You can do this hard thing.” (See below.)
• That people are dying and mourning without being held is heartbreaking.
• The shloshim list is four times longer than it should be.
• “Singing for” is not the same as “singing with.”
• Gesticulations must be visible within the frame, or they are meaningless.
• “Where will the streaming studio be?” is now a consideration while apartment hunting.
• The years when Tazria-Metzora is less relevant are better.
• You can never roast too much eggplant or cauliflower.
• Using what we have instead of acquiring what we want is a worthwhile practice.
• That we can finding meaning in suffering is good theology. That we must suffer to find meaning is bad theology.
• Grape hyacinth. (See below.)
• There’s no reason we can’t open emails wishing for one another’s well-being all the time.
• “What are the goals?” is harder to ask when the moment is pressing, but it is no less worthwhile.
• It’s okay to cancel things. Not everything can be mimicked online.
• Having a Torah scroll resting in the closet affects my behavior at home.
• Thinking about leaving my current community without being able to say goodbye and thank you in person makes me sad.
• All plans are tentative, always.
• These things are to be said sincerely, and often:
  • “We’re healthy and have a stocked pantry, thank God.”
  • “It’s good to see you.”
  • “I love you.”