Inviting Barbie to the High Holy Days

It's always difficult to say goodbye to the summer.  Our schedules quickly get busier.  The days become shorter.  There are fewer opportunities to swim, or travel, or simply sit still.

And yet the sweetness of summer adventure does stay with us.  This September I'm feeling grateful for the new confidence I see in my children thanks to her embrace of overnight camp and to his determination to ride a two-wheeler.

I'm also feeling inspired by the strong women who dominated the stages and stadiums this summer.  The more I learn about Taylor Swift's concerts, the more intrigued I am by her widespread resonance with so many people.  The more I learn about Greta Gerwig's process for writing and directing Barbie, the more amazed I am by what she created and shared with the world.

If I could invite one special teacher to accompany us all through the Days of Awe this year, believe it or not, it would be Barbie.  This summer on the big screen she modeled what it means to choose life.  She chose to be real, not perfect.  And what a lesson that is for all of us!

At the end of the film, Ruth Handler explains to her: "I created you so you wouldn't have an ending.  You understand that humans only have one ending.  Ideas live forever.  Humans not so much.  Being a human can be pretty uncomfortable...Humans make things up like patriarchy and Barbie just to deal with how uncomfortable it is."

Then Barbie responds: "Yes, I want to be part of the people that make meaning, not the thing that is made.  I want to do the imagining..."

​In the year ahead, may we each choose life.
May we choose to be real, not perfect.
May we embrace the moments of discomfort,
trusting they will lead to new confidence and meaning.
May we make room for teachers and inspiration all around us.
May it be so.