Last year when I posted about Tisha B'av I was writing frequently and it felt weird to post about Tisha B'av, a Jewish national day of mourning, since it wasn't in line with the rest of my topics, but it still felt relevant and real, so I did. This year, after not blogging for a … Continue reading Tisha B’av: Holding Space for Grief
Author: Gila Daman
Latest release: Pandemic Poetry. Also by Gila: She Pooped, I'm Pooped!: Motherhood Year One,
First Comes Self-Love, Then Comes Marriage, and The Roadmap Ends Here: Entering Adulthood.
When Things Don’t Seem Right, Keep Going
It’s so hard to keep going when things feel awry. Much easier in the moment to curl up into a ball and hide. But the truth is, much like my 4 yo daughter’s experience with completing her puzzle this morning, sometimes the only way out of the confusion is to keep going. To try things … Continue reading When Things Don’t Seem Right, Keep Going
‘Tis the Season to Be Delighted
A gentle breeze caresses my now-bare armsAs I’m delighted by the charmsThe sun’s warmth rests upon my shoulders Shining upon me as I stare at the lush greenery set against the bright blue skyLower my gaze to the pinks, rouges, and whitesI’m seated but I’m taking flightMesmerized and delighting in pleasureTaking in Earth’s most special … Continue reading ‘Tis the Season to Be Delighted
Fast-Paced, No Grace
When communication comes down to texting without contextWhen you’re surrounded by hundreds of people and yet no one is really there for youWhen you relate through a persona and not your actual authentic selfIt’s no wonderThe world moves so fastHow can we be authentic to others when we don’t even truly know ourselvesWhen we try … Continue reading Fast-Paced, No Grace
That Same Girl
The girl who danced her ass off to R&B music this morning Is the same girl who is pensively journaling on her tried and true picnic blanket this afternoon Is the same girl who finds these different aspects in opposition to each other Is the same girl who wonders why the complexity of a human … Continue reading That Same Girl
Satiety—of an Intellectual Sort
In Grace after Meals in Judaism, a Biblical verse is quoted in the third paragraph, “and you will eat, and you will be satisfied, and you will bless.” I’m no stranger to the hunger-fullness scale, I use it both personally and professionally—I am a dietitian after all! But is satiety only about physical fullness from … Continue reading Satiety—of an Intellectual Sort
When You Give a Kid a (Chocolate-Covered) Cookie
My daughter hasn’t celebrated as many Purim holidays as I have so when we were gifted with some chocolate-covered Hamantaschen, her reaction, which initially surprised me, was quite appropriate. Instead of taking a bite out of it, she began to pick away at the chocolate covering with her finger nails, then later a fork which … Continue reading When You Give a Kid a (Chocolate-Covered) Cookie
What’s a Purim?!
A story the director of Hillel told us at a meeting once that someone passed by a flyer in the student lounge about a Purim event and said “What’s a Purim?” As in, a lot of the school body celebrated it, but many did not, and some did not even know about this more minor … Continue reading What’s a Purim?!
Birds Atop Trees and Phone Wires
For you, it’s simple chatter For me, it’s all that mattersFor stuck inside these four wallsI hear how nature callsI no longer feel unsettled and alone Wherever I go, in Nature I find home
Remember
This week in synagogue there is an extra portion read to remember the nation that attacked the Israelites when they were weak, Amalek, the nation from which Haman, the villain of the upcoming Jewish holiday of Purim, originated. Remembering can be helpful when times are difficult: Remember when you were strong, centered, when life was … Continue reading Remember
Mindful Nuggets 