Day Three: Prepent 5773. Harvest a year of smiles.

Last night I sat tired on the subway after a long day at work, nose buried in a bunch of documents. An older gentleman pushing a cart sat opposite me and caught my eye and nodded hello, with a half smile. He may have tipped his hat too. I smiled back and went back to work. But when I looked back up a minute later he was holding a drawing pad and sketching something with a thick pencil – by the way he was looking at me with a squint I realized it was me he was sketching. A big smile took over my face – it was just weird and silly and flattering and awkward and sweet. And of course I was curious to see what he came up with. Other people around were looking at him, and at me, smiling also. One of those NY subway moments. ‘What stop do you get off at?’ he asked. We had about 6 to go. He hurried, and managed to scribble a signature and tear out the page and roll it out and hand it to me just as the doors opened at my station. I thanked him (should have paid him?) and hurried to exit. When I looked at the drawing it looked nothing like me but it was the interaction that kept me smiling.

Day 3 of PREPENT towards more focus and clarity is a harvest of smiles – and gratitude.

This past year – what made me smile? I want to go back and re-collect at least 4 moments , like photos in which I show up not smiling the fake photo smile but a genuine delighted grin that is related to the belly laugh or at least to cousin chuckle.

Like when the kids waited for me on the curb outside the house when I got in from the airport two weeks ago, or in front of a mirror on the first day of school, really happy to be going and making sure the outfit’s right, or on the Bimah, at the very last moment of Yom Kippur last year – beaming from the beauty, catching Shira’s eye and knowing that we did it and our hearts are open wide.  Or that day when we found out that the efforts to open the gates for rabbinic ordination for all regardless of sexual orientation – paid off!

So many more… but focus on few.

Harvest the blessing of smiles today. At least three.  And smile at someone else today for no reason at all.

:)