Counting the Days....

Welcome to Motivation Monday!

Easter is behind us, Passover has again been celebrated, and two nights ago we began the annual "counting of the omer."

Omer?

In the Bible, an omer is a measure of barley. The Counting of the Omer is an ancient Jewish ritual of blessing and counting each of the 49 days, one by one, between Passover and Shavuot. The time of counting fell between the early barley harvest and the later wheat harvest, and began as an agricultural ritual when the Israelites would pray for an abundant spring harvest by waving a sheaf, an omer, of barley toward the night sky.

Over time, this agricultural rite was replaced by nightly prayers as a way to mark the Israelites’ journey from being released from bondage in Egypt (Passover) to their walk through the wilderness to the revelation at Mount Sinai 49 days later.

Since 49 days is 7 weeks of 7 days, the holiday at the end of this "week of weeks" is known as Shavuot, meaning literally, "Weeks." Christians, however, call it Pentecost (which is the Greek word for "fifty" since Shavuot falls on the 50th day after Passover).

As the festival of Shavuot took on less of an agricultural festival and became increasingly connected with the revelation at Mount Sinai, a metaphor for the journey from liberation to revelation, new associations with the counting of the omer have developed over the millennia.

While Passover challenges us to leave the narrow places – the habits, behaviors, thoughts and stories that keep us bound and unable to expand into the fullness of our lives, the time of the counting of the omer continues the journey that calls us to live with greater intention and awareness.

So counting the omer for 49 days each year between Passover and Shavuot is one way we remind ourselves that as we count the days, we are responsible for also making each day count.

It is so easy to say "Make each day count," yet, what does that really mean? How do we make each day count? Is it experiencing something epic or accomplishing something big and noteworthy? I don't think so. Here are seven small ways we can make each day count:


1. Seek out the magic in every day. This is not looking for something miraculous or epic! It is as simple as taking some time every night to write down or share with someone else something good that happened that day, even if it is only something that made you smile or laugh.


2. Be grateful. So often we forget just how much we have for which to be grateful! Can't think of anything? Start with indoor plumbing, and add on from there. Think about how grateful you are for indoor plumbing.... seriously!

3. Express yourself in some creative endeavor. This is not limited to art, crafts, writing, dance, or music. What about gardening, cooking, spending time on a hobby, journaling, fixing something? Even tidying up can be an act of positive creativity.

4. Appreciate the beauty of nature. If it's a grey, dismal day or you can't get outside, pull out your cellphone or computer and head to an awesome nature-inspired website. Perhaps you have a "coffee table book" filled with breath-taking photos. (If you don't, go to a thrift store and pick one up for cheap.)

5. Purposefully share a little kindness. A smile, leaving a little painted rock in public, placing a bookmark with a kind message in a book at the library, or even printing out a little kind note and leaving it in the waiting room at the doctor's office are all small ways you can be kind to strangers. And of course there are millions of ways to share a little kindness with our family, friends, and coworkers.

6. Learn something new. While I am a huge fan of both online courses and reading hefty tomes, it doesn't have to be that complicated or time-intense. Go to the website "10 Sites to Learn Something New in 10 Minutes a Day."

Expanding your mind is really good for your memory and your soul, not to mention that it is a natural age-deterrent. All for free and just ten minutes a day! If you don't have ten minutes a day, you are simply TOO BUSY!

7. Connect with and nurture something living, whether it is a plant, a pet, or a person. Make a phone call. Send a text or email or card. Reach out. Talk to your plants. (We won't tell.) CONNECT.


This is the deepest lesson of counting the omer, I think: Learning to count the days, and remembering to make each day count.... FOR THE GOOD! Not the epic moments, but the small ones filled with goodness.


Shalom uv'racha, peace and blessings!