A New Year Message From Nina

I spent this past weekend celebrating the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hasanah. Usually at this time, I attend services at my synagogue with my family. We put on our nicest dresses and heels, grab our prayer books, and listen to the Rabbi’s hopes for the new year. However, as you probably guessed, we did not attend in-person services this year. Instead, we sat in our family room and connected virtually. This sounds funny, I know, but I was surprised at how pleasant this service was. Maybe it’s because I am older now, but I found the holiday to be more meaningful than ever before. This year, I was overwhelmed. I’m sure you were too - from one crisis to another, the human race has truly been tested in the last few months. The thought of a fresh start, a new year to counteract some of the horror of the past, sounds necessary to me. 

You do not have to be Jewish to buy into this; the opportunity to start fresh with new goals is always a good one. Moving into the new year, I am going to continue to do things that bring me joy and that I find important: write for this blog, spend time with my family, trust science, play with my dog, hope for people to vote this November, wear my mask, attend protests for racial equality. Even though this year has been traumatic to say the least, I hope all will embrace a new chapter, attempt to correct the mistakes of last year, and make personal decisions that will make the world safer for all. 

xx

Nina