Q08

Is there something (a person, a cause, an idea) that you want to investigate more fully in the coming year?

I want to explore Judaism and my connection to it. I’m Jewish, but my family focused on the cultural, not the religious aspects. I enjoyed the sense of community and identification with my heritage, but I struggle with the practice of reciting jewish prayers in temple when i am not sure how i feel about the religious doctrine or beliefs. I have a spiritual practice, and I’m curious to discover if I want to incorporate Jewish spirituality into my life.

Volunteer work with our elders. I get along pretty well with older people, and I think the ones I've spent time with also enjoy my company. I hope to find opportunity to, either through something like meals on wheels or something more mentally engaging, interact and bring human contact to people who may not be getting as much as they should.

I would like to understand the life of Frida Kahlo better. She was a person who dealt with enormous pain daily. She was a person who explored her sexuality, her ethnic identity, and the meaning of life and her creativity daily. Also, I would like to explore a Jewish philosophy of making the world a better place. We have always been the object of unbelievable violence. How does this make sense? How does this history make life worth living?

I want to become more engaged in different communities. Along with my writing, I want to venture out and expose myself to new worlds. Get out of Marin and into the Bay Area -- Oakland, etc. I realize how much I love to engage with new people, new places. It's all right here. I also want to get out in nature more. Write in nature more.

I want to expand my mindfulness practice. This includes studying again with my chevruta and improving my text study skills. I want to explore places to practice yoga and meditate in my community. Perhaps spend some time at the Zen Center. Try acupuncture. I've been doing a lot of work related study recently - on palliative care, death and dying, and a little on dementia. While I want to continue this, I would also like to do some study for its own sake; perhaps choose some classes and workshops more whimsically.