A different kind of moonday

Tonight's New Moon marks the beginning of the new year (the year 5766), at least in the Jewish religion. The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, with months beginning and ending on the new moon or the full moon, as the case may be. The first and second days of the month referred to as "Tishri", which begins with tonight's new moon, are "Rosh Hashonah", the beginning of a new year, and the birthday of the world and the anniversary of the day on which God created man.

Rosh Hashanah also marks the beginning of a 10-day period of introspection and soul-searching, at the end of which God is said to decide who shall live and who shall die in the coming year. No champagne, no party hats, no noisemakers. Just families dining together and attending synagogue. Overall, it's pretty solemn, and it's incredibly beautiful to listen to the sounding of the Shofar (a ram's horn), which is blown 100 times (I think) to usher in the new year.

For me, this is the time of year in which I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My surgery was on September 17, 2002 - the day after Yom Kippur (the 10th day of the 10-day period, also known as the Day of Atonement). The sounding of the Shofar on that Yom Kippur was quite profound for me.

I could write a whole bunch of snarky stuff here, about how this is the time of year when affluent Jewish women break out their brand new designer suits, shoes and handbags, about how most Jews only see the inside of a synagogue on these High Holy Days, and mainly out of guilt and fear. But I don't really feel that way at all. I find this to be an incredibly thought-provoking time of year. Already today, I had coffee with girlfriends, and we had an informal discussion/debate about the nature of karma - a concept that is obviously yogic but also quite consistent with the notion of a book of life in which your name is either inscribed....or not, based on your actions during the prior year and your level of contrition for those acts that didn't quite meet your mark.

Anyway, I am off to take Addy to Tae Kwon Do and then to dinner at my sister's. Lou the Beagle is very sick, I should add. She is staying overnight at the vet's. She has eating problems. A beagle with an eating disorder. Not funny. Scary. Beagles (and especially beagle PUPPIES) are supposed to be ravenously hungry, but Lou never eats unless forced. After talking to the vet every day about her eating issues, it finally dawned on me that something was terribly wrong with this picture, and I skeedaddled over to a new vet yesterday afternoon. The vet took one look at Lou and said, "I am very concerned. This puppy is not thriving." At present, Lou is in the middle of a battery of tests and on IV antibiotics and fluids. The technician tells me she seems happy and comfortable, so hopefully this is just an infection and nothing serious.

Anyway, that's what's going on.

Happy birthday world...may it be a wonderful year...L'shana Tova!

YC