Light My Fire

I was recently reading a book that discussed the need for activities that rejuvenate the soul—good things the provide pleasure and joy. The book referenced one girl who ventured into the city whenever time allowed. The author sprinted away from the city to reach the wilderness and more importantly the peaceful quiet when he was able. Some people need time to read, some need time for music. The point of the section was that God intends for us to have goodness in our lives. That may be difficult to imagine for most given the myriad of difficulties and pain that often permeates through everyday life. But, the "why do bad things happen to good people" analysis requires an entirely separate writing, probably by someone closer to Rabbi Kushner and further from the lawyer currently penning this post.

That tangent aside, the author was onto something that often seems forgotten once an individual enters the real world. Two weeks of vacation spread over the entirety of a year is hardly a way to live. The author noted that "[w]e need to drink in beauty wherever we can get it—in music, in nature, in art, in a great meal shared. These are all gifts to us from God's generous heart." He cited Psalms 104:15 in noting that God brings "wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart." Not exactly the phrase typically trumpeted from most churches. Still I wholly believe pursuing good things is vital to sustaining one's spirit. And while everyone likes to have a good time, I'm not sure that people purposefully seek to have a good time with the intent of rejuvenating the soul. Not only do people fail to take the breaks that prevent being spread too thin, but we rarely, if ever, see God as providing goodness. I think both are a sincere disservice to living a satisfying life.

There are a number of activities that provide rejuvenation for me. I could watch and analyze movies for days—I love the stories and the attention to detail. I love the varied approaches directors take when incorporating characters, music, lighting, and shots. Reading once provided an equal joy, but it has tempered slightly over the years, as my profession requires endless amounts of reading dense material. That said, reading a good book is another activity that heightens my life. Finally, singing is another necessary in my life. I've written before of my enjoyment from performance (though I fully acknowledge that karaoke is a poor substitute for my previous singing opportunities). Each of these activities adds joy to my day.

I do my best to seek out opportunities to watch movies, read, and sing, but it is not uncommon for me to "enjoy" them passively. What I mean is simply watch a movie as I space-out. I'll read my book, absorb the themes, but again zone-out. Even something as active as singing can cause a night to pass with smiles and enjoyment, but I still end the night sometimes not truly appreciating the joy from the evening. This is not just a call to "stop and smell the roses;" it's actually more than that.

God gives us wine and food and pleasure. We should be active in enjoying the pleasures He gives us, and not let them pass by unnoticed. Even the smallest of joys, dinner with a loved-one or a well-written story, creates an opportunity to truly enjoy life. And it is just important to see those rejuvenating-events as pleasure instead of merely a way to pass the time. Reading my book helped me appreciate that I should actually appreciate the act of reading any book. The content was great, but the peaceful act of reading while alone with my thoughts is good even when the content does not measure up to my high expectations. So don't just smell the roses (or sing the song, or watch the movie); really appreciate them, and treat the little pleasures in your life as the rejuvenating boosts God intends them to be. Maybe even reading a delightfully dull blog can bring some forgotten-joy to your day.