SELF-CARE: These past two weeks have been really difficult for me. I am scared to walk around this world as a Jew. It is terrifying watching the way the world is reacting to what is happening in the Middle East with pure and blatant antisemitism. I’m scared to walk from Penn Station to Baruch.  I am scared of my classmates. I am scared of my social media feed. I’m scared of how many people are ignoring how bad antisemitism has gotten. My usual self-care tactics, including going for walks and journaling haven’t been as helpful. Instead, I’ve turned to prayer. For me, taking 25 minutes out of my morning, when I get the chance, to just pray for the families who have been affected and the people who are currently suffering in Israel has been helpful. Believing that everything that is happening right now for a reason that I cannot see at the moment somehow brings me some peace and understanding. While I feel guilty that I’m sitting here in New York while others my age are going off to the army to fight and dedicating much time to helping those in need, I know my prayers are my source of aid. I’ve also seen the way praying has changed by the day. I am no longer jittery and unfocused. By entering and dealing with my thoughts in the morning, I can go about my day with a clearer head. I strongly suggest that anyone with religious affiliations turn to prayer as a coping mechanism. it proved to be a wonderful outlet for me during this trying time.

TIME TRAVEL: If I could time travel to any time outside of 2023, I would want to go back to the Italian Renaissance that followed the Middle Ages.This was always my favorite time period to learn about in history class because I enjoyed seeing the creativity, individualism and ambitiousness that thrived during that revolution. The move from a Medieval lifestyle based upon living for the afterlife to a Renaissance ideology of making our current lives beautiful is something I would love to see with my own eyes. I want to see the architecture and paintings and watch the way the lives of all Italians were revolutionized. Likewise, I’m curious what the reaction of the public was to works by Machiavelli and Petrarca. A problem I would like to see fixed from this European Era is women’s role in society. This time period defined by incredible infrastructure, architecture, paintings, writings, food, sculptures etc. could have been twice as influential had women had the outlets to create these works of art. I would use the knowledge and skills that I have acquired growing up as a teenage girl in the 2020’s to advocate for women to receive an education and be valued in professional spheres on the same level as men. 

GRATITUDE: Last night, I came home incredibly frustrated. The first thing I said to my parents when I walked through the front door was “I’m too frustrated to even talk right now.” I then proceeded to spend 15 minutes talking to them about how the train I usually take got canceled, so I had to spend 40 minutes standing up on a jam-packed train and got home 30 minutes later than usual. They both rolled their eyes and laughed at my insignificant, first-world struggle. A few hours later, I was scrolling through posts on my phone, and a man had posted a video where he asked his audience “What was the hardest thing you had to do today.” The goal of his video was to make people realize that their life is not as complicated or challenging as it may seem, and that’s exactly what he did. Every morning, I walk up in my heated home, eat my filling breakfast, drive my functioning car to the train station, and go about my school routine rather comfortably. I can hang out with friends and family, exercise my body, and eat delicious foods. Sure, I may need to have a hard conversation or attend a boring class. I may even have a delayed train and need to stand the whole way. But I decided to shift my narrative. I should be thankful that I have 2 long, functioning legs to stand on and feet that don’t get tired easily. I got to spend a little extra time listening to my favorite music and stood by some smiley, nice people. I believe gratitude comes from looking at the glass half full. It can be hard to have this mindset constantly, therefore it is so important to write a couple of great things that have happened in your day when you wake up in the morning or at night before you go to sleep. I think that by doing this, over time your mindset will naturally shift in a positive direction.

CURIOUSITY LIST:

I feel the happiest around my family dinner table on Friday nights when all our phones are away, and we talk about deep topics. This past week, we were discussing the ever-opened, existential question: Does everything happen for a reason? A few years ago a friend of my sisters’ mother passed at a young age, and it took a toll on the entire of my community. Thinking about her dear friend’s mother, my sister couldn’t understand how there could possibly be a justifiable reason for such an incredible woman leaving this world so soon. I, on the other hand, couldn’t imagine how her child would ever find acceptance unless she believed that there was a larger reason for this tragedy. We then started talking about free will. Do we have control over the trajectory of our lives? Is everything predetermined? Does God control our every move?Do we make our own decisions? 

My sister asked me, “If it is true that humans have free will, how is it possible that everything happens for a reason, considering that we choose what happens to us?”

Our conversation went on for hours as we discussed all the possibilities. Maybe, we come into this world with a path set for us, and through our choices, we can change that path. On the other hand, someone can spend their whole lives eating healthy and exercising, but still get ill at a young age. I believe in a higher power, but I don’t know to what extent He has a daily impact on my life. I’m curious to learn more about what my religion deems as God’s role in our day to day. I ponder, would knowing how much of my life is my own doing and how much comes directly from God change the way I carry out my work and relationships?