This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation

Even those small moments of contemplation—of nefesh, of nothingness—we used to enjoy on vacation or even just driving back and forth between errands, even these are denied us.

Instead of trying to get rid of these feelings, Norman suggested, why not forgive himself for having them?

The great drama of this season is the drama of choice. The power of choice is immense. We can choose to let go of anger, boredom, fear, guilt, impatience, grief, disappointment, dejection, anxiety, and despair, and we can make this choice moment by moment, and we can make this choice in a broader way as well. We can let go of each constituent feeli

But we can only change our external routines so many times before this remedy stops working too.

Spectacular, immediate results—sudden changes in aspect or in the way we see the world—are always suspect, and usually suggest a superficial rather than a profound transformation.

Joy is any feeling fully felt,

A letting go, letting the walls of identity crumble, and turning toward that which remains.

the infinite power of simply being present, simply being who we are.

our need to be more conscious—to awaken from the deep dream that has held us in its thrall—is always there too, not just when the shofar blows on the first day of Elul. The soul wants to awaken.