I have noticed an interesting trend with my time, the more I write about it, the more I become aware of it, the more I seem like I have. This has been a week full of time as I have been off my ordinary routine. My sweetheart, Ariel, and I have been spending the week in Haifa, a gorgeous city on the northern coast of Israel. We have this deluxe apartment to ourselves...a friend of Ariel had given us the keys to have a getaway. Time has been well spent, planned, and thought through. We made a list of goals for what we wanted to do while we have been here...pray before and after every meal, study, relax, go running, cook great food, and go on a tour of the Bahai Gardens. We have done all of this and have made 3+ days feel like a lot longer. I can look back and see how productive time can be spent when it is gone through intentionally.
Last week I saw the gift of Shabbat given to the Jewish people while they were wandering in the wilderness. Shabbat is the utmost gift of time...time off. Shabbat will begin for us tonight and it will show me this different use of time. No movies or emails. Differentiated time by the little inserts and different prayers said. Different mood, and even different people, as we have invited our friends David and Maya to share the day with us.
What is a yearon without a little experimentation? But then I wonder, can one be attached to their ways of being an still have time on? I want to think yes, as I will likely be someone with more set ways of being in the future...but the openness to be doing things a little differently on occasion, I am hopeful will still be a value. As I experiment with what I likely to take hold, I find myself in an interesting place of transition. My prayers and ways of being Jewish are solidifying...
This week in the parsha, we have the handing over of the 10 commandments. Before that though, Yitro, the father-in-law of Moshe, gives him some advice in leadership: delegate. It is not explicit as to why Yitro gives Moshe this advice. It is clear that Moshe will burn out if he continues in his ways, and now that Yitro has brought back Tziporah, Moshe's wife, and their two children, Gershom and Eliezar, Moshe will be better off spending less time as judge for the squabbling Hebrews and more time with his family whom he has not seen in a year+.
I feel we learn a lesson about time here. When I am in a position of leadership, it becomes easy to lose sight of everyone who my work is not affecting. I spend too much time doing my work because it can be very self gratifying. But I lose sight of those whom I love. By delegating what there is to be done, I allow myself to spend time more qualitatively and equitably. Without delegating, I also lose sight that there are potentially other leaders in our midst who could run with a shared power system. Leaders who when given authority shine brightly and do amazing things, while being trained for future situations of greater magnitude.
In a yearon, there is a balancing act that must occur. Time for me versus time with others, sometimes even time spent doing that which I don't want to be doing. Maintaining a balance is important, and hopefully we all have people in our life like Yitro who can call us on our stuff and give us some helpful advice. My advice would be to create relationships like the one shared by Yitro and Moshe. Even the greatest of leaders have the people they counsel with and set them right, as should we.
This week, have a yearon.
Last week I saw the gift of Shabbat given to the Jewish people while they were wandering in the wilderness. Shabbat is the utmost gift of time...time off. Shabbat will begin for us tonight and it will show me this different use of time. No movies or emails. Differentiated time by the little inserts and different prayers said. Different mood, and even different people, as we have invited our friends David and Maya to share the day with us.
What is a yearon without a little experimentation? But then I wonder, can one be attached to their ways of being an still have time on? I want to think yes, as I will likely be someone with more set ways of being in the future...but the openness to be doing things a little differently on occasion, I am hopeful will still be a value. As I experiment with what I likely to take hold, I find myself in an interesting place of transition. My prayers and ways of being Jewish are solidifying...
This week in the parsha, we have the handing over of the 10 commandments. Before that though, Yitro, the father-in-law of Moshe, gives him some advice in leadership: delegate. It is not explicit as to why Yitro gives Moshe this advice. It is clear that Moshe will burn out if he continues in his ways, and now that Yitro has brought back Tziporah, Moshe's wife, and their two children, Gershom and Eliezar, Moshe will be better off spending less time as judge for the squabbling Hebrews and more time with his family whom he has not seen in a year+.
I feel we learn a lesson about time here. When I am in a position of leadership, it becomes easy to lose sight of everyone who my work is not affecting. I spend too much time doing my work because it can be very self gratifying. But I lose sight of those whom I love. By delegating what there is to be done, I allow myself to spend time more qualitatively and equitably. Without delegating, I also lose sight that there are potentially other leaders in our midst who could run with a shared power system. Leaders who when given authority shine brightly and do amazing things, while being trained for future situations of greater magnitude.
In a yearon, there is a balancing act that must occur. Time for me versus time with others, sometimes even time spent doing that which I don't want to be doing. Maintaining a balance is important, and hopefully we all have people in our life like Yitro who can call us on our stuff and give us some helpful advice. My advice would be to create relationships like the one shared by Yitro and Moshe. Even the greatest of leaders have the people they counsel with and set them right, as should we.
This week, have a yearon.
posted by daveb at 1:17 AM
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