Over the shoulder!

I felt 16 again as I got into the driver's seat today with the woman who was going to give me my driving lesson.

That's right, I lost my license, but not because of negligent driving! Rather, due to a leave of the country for more than x number of consecutive months.

So my 'punishment' for being away too long, was the nostalgic feeling of being 16 all over again, so I wasn't complaining.

We cruised down the streets of Toronto, hands ten and two, at a whopping 50 km per hour. I think if the windows were open, I might have felt the slightest breeze through my hair...or maybe not.

"Over the shoulder" She kept saying. "Over the shoulder" for 45 minutes all I heard was "Over the shoulder."

Oh what's the big deal, I'm thinking? Like seriously, who even cares? Over my shoulder? Who's over my shoulder?

Right now we are at a very auspicious time, the night before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.

This is a time to recognize that God loves us and wants only what's best for us. This is the time to recognize that God is not the evil man over our shoulder ready to jump out at us!

The Jewish New Year is a time to recognize how great and awesome our creator is and how much He cares about our actions, all of our actions, even the little things, especially the little things. The judgment of Rosh Hashana is not one of an evil dictator, it is one of a loving King, so to speak.

And how do we do this? How do we start getting real with it? Just look back at the past year! Think of all the blessings, the love, the family, the friends. Even think about those 'difficult' times and how much they helped you grow, how much they helped you become more of the person you want to be.

And so we do 'look over our shoulders' now in a type of awe that says, how did I do? Am I too close? Too far? Did I bump into something? Did I hurt anyone? It's a look over our shoulder to put into context our year and our actions, for our own good, because only with this introspection can we really grow and change in the areas we all know we want to.

Wishing us all a sweet year filled with light and love, laughter and clarity, and a license to drive.