Yael Mizrachi wrote an article in her column in La’Ishah a Hebrew women’s magazine, about slowing down from life’s demands. This is something we can all benefit from. Here’s her article:
“I once saw a saying, a cliché that I felt still merits repetition because it so accurately describes what we strive for: “You are most complete when you’re at peace with yourself.”
“A few months ago I was at a fashion show where the ‘models’ were women with physical handicaps. They came onstage, each with their own physical challenges and disabilities. Some moved awkwardly, some even limped onstage. They marched and fell and got up again quickly. I’ll never forget the shine of happiness radiating from their faces. They waved to the audience with great big motions the women felt such love and wholeheartedness and yes, even pride could be seen.”
Then it hit me: They’re happy because they’re at peace with themselves. They’re complete. Their simplicity and purity was radiating from their faces. They remained unspoiled, not like the rest of us who got ruined.”
I asked myself: “When did this happen? When did we get ruined? At which stage in life did our conscious begin to feel tortured? When did guilt creep into our feelings? From where did the exaggerated demands on us come from and according to whose exact yardstick? When did we get on the train without being able to get off, to stop and think about what is really important and what is secondary? What about here and now?”
I see my grandmother Sulika that’s almost 90 years old. Each wrinkle on her face has its own story. The earlier generations like hers in spite of being difficult had none of the modern technology at our disposal, but they also didn’t need to think about goals and attainments and empowerment. They were just there living their days and their lives anew every day. The women of yore were happy and fortunate compared to our women today. How is it that we became slaves and maidservants of today’s upheavals and new technologies? We torture ourselves endlessly because we didn’t complete, didn’t fully realize the potential of, and didn’t get skinnier, didn’t buy, have kids that are only average intelligence or behavior, they’re not the saints we want them to be and nothing is enough?”
“Sometimes I just want to be that woman that walks on the path of life. I want to get off the highway and stop earning points. I’d like to be more like my grandmother Sulika, to let go, to accept myself with love, and be at peace with myself.”