Bridges

Good morning, friend ~

I am writing this Note to you after admittedly considering skipping this ‘mid-month’ edition. In a world feeling increasingly and relentlessly noisy, I’ve noticed myself going inward. The mere thought of sending an email feels almost intrusive.

Yet, I find myself unexpectedly sitting outside, on a lightly breezy September afternoon, listening to the sounds around me. The branches of the trees moving, the leaves skipping across the ground, the voices of neighbors in their yards, and even the dogs next door panting at the fence to get my attention.

A writing shared with me recently resonated deeply, as the writer described those of us of a certain age as a “bridge” between two worlds:

“We’ve dropped coins in payphones and made video calls across oceans. We’ve known the sound of silence — no buzzing notifications — and the sound of an entire world pinging at once…. We know the weight of a handwritten letter because we’ve held it, and we know the reach of a message sent in seconds because we’ve pressed “send” and watched a reply arrive from thousands of miles away.”

I attempted to find the author of this writing so I could rightfully give credit to the person who shared such thoughtful insights. Alas, in today’s world, even with Google to help, I was unable to source this writing to know if it was written by a real person or AI.

What I know is that the message felt relatable to me, so I wanted to share it with you.

As someone of the Jewish faith, this time of year represents another bridge, of sorts, as we move into the New Year. If you celebrate the High Holy Days, I join you with wishes for a Shana Tova u’Metukah, a Good and Sweet New Year. If you are of another faith tradition, I equally wish you goodness and sweetness as we transition from one season to the next.

As always, I thank you for being part of my village.

May we know Peace,