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He could have converted this news into suffering, dwelling on the excrutiatingly long time it would take him to attain the object of his desire–or–he could think of this work not as arduous labor, but rather, literally, as a labor of love, recognizing that sometimes the joys of anticipation exceed the joys of the achievement itself. We are told, in fact, that Jacob’s love for Rachel was so great that the seven years were as a few days. Jacob had a choice. David Ben Gurion had the same choice when, as a young idealist arriving in Palestine from Russia, he confronted great difficulty. Helen Keller had the same choice. Nelson Mandela had the same choice. We all have that same choice, to take control over what will be a source of suffering and what will not, and to have an understanding that what to others may mean only pain and suffering could for us be a source of strength, of sustenance, and even of joy.
And so it was with last week’s ice storm. No power, no phones, trees and branches covering the driveway. And knee surgery upcoming. Source of suffering? Surely could have been, but Louise and I found it possible to have a very different take on it. Although the ice surely was not a good thing for the trees, it was absolutely gorgeous to behold, particularly as the sun shining on the ice cast prisms of rainbow colors. I’ve worked in or traveled through 46 countries over the years, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything quite as beautiful as the view outside our windows. We might have paid big bucks for a vacation to see such a sight, staying in a cramped hotel room and returning home with jet lag. By contrast, even without power and phone we remained cozy in front of the woodstove, able to enjoy the beauty brought by the storm. While recovering from the surgery, I’ve been able to do more resting and reading than any time in my memory. (I highly recommend one of my discoveries, Diane Ackerman’s The Zookeeper’s Wife, a touching story about two of the “Righteous among the Nations” in Warsaw during the Holocaust.)
Our sages remind us regularly that events are what we make of them. Perhaps even our present financial and environmental woes, viewed positively, might be seen as rare opportunities to bring us together in unexpected ways, to appreciate our interconnectedness, and to strengthen us as community.
B’Shalom,
Jim
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