How are you doing?? Parshat Noach
The conversation.
“How are you?”
“Baruch Hashem. And you?”
“Baruch Hashem.”
The conversation with cartoon bubbles of thoughts. Or the conversation between two real, good friends.
“How are you?”
“Baruch Hashem. Some days I’m managing and some days I’m not.”
“What about you?”
“Some days I’m hanging in there and some days I’m falling apart. Baruch Hashem.”
“And today?”
“It depends on the hour.”
“Baruch Hashem.”
So this is what I am thinking.
There are times in our life when we are in survival mode and times in our life when we are in thriving mode and times in our life when we are in a neutral mode that is a mode in itself. It also depends on the person of course. Some of us are more dramatic 😊 and some of us less.
When should we be in which mode?
Well when you are in a crisis situation, or a situation that is dangerous, or how about unstable with uncertainty, that would be when the survival mode kicks in. That’s when it’s normal to expect that life is not normal.
It’s short term. Supposed to be temporary. The goal is to stay afloat, not necessary to build or grow.
Noach went into the ark, then his sons, then his wife, then their wives. In a time of crisis, brings Rashi, when the whole world is being destroyed it’s not the time for thriving, the time then is for surviving.
This was for a period of time. It was long and it was scary, but there was a start and there was an end. And of course Noach was given the role of feeding all the animals which gave him an additional purpose to survive, to get through it.
Then the flood stopped, the water receded. Noach understood that the land was dry and it was time to come out of the ark.
He came out, then his wife, then his sons and their wives. Now was the time for moving forward, for thriving, creating, planting seeds, for gratitude, and for learning from the past.
So how does this apply to us now?
Well, there are times in our lives when we have to lower our expectations.
Where the goal actually is just to survive. Find purpose in our living and hold onto it, not to ever let it go.
It’s not the time for guilt about what we can’t do, but to be focused on what we can and just stay within a safety zone. It actually is the time for compassion.
It’s doing the best that we can in the situation that we are in and acceptance, acceptance, acceptance.
But it’s only supposed to be for a time. If it’s going on way too long. If this is the only life that we know, then something is wrong. The flood must end and one is supposed to find dry land.
Look for it.
And when you do, plant, move on, grow, create, thrive, take advantage of it.
Much bracha! Shabbat Shalom,
Elana