The Most Daring Things

Newsletter March 20, 2022 Together, we're #keepingitsacred...

What is the most daring thing you have ever done? 

This was a question that showed up one year on the common application for colleges to get to know high school applicants. Readers read though thousands of answers. Some cited volunteer work they had done in far-away countries; other described the courage they mustered before a scholastic competition, a glorious act of bravery in the course of an athletic performance, or an internship that allowed them to push themselves out of their comfort zone.

Many of their answers were impressive. After all, the applicants were writing for their lives- or at least for admission to the college of their dreams. The answer had to display their courage, their intellect, their willingness to take risks and taste the reward. And each person who wrote, carefully crafted their answer to best represent them.

But then there was one answer that was proof that the applicant had surpassed every other entry. Her simple answer to the question: What is the most daring thing you have ever done? The simple answer offered was: 

This. 

(And the rest of the page was blank.)

Needless to say, it was the most impressive answer of all.  Certainly the most daring. And legend has it: this applicant was given their pick of colleges. 

Why am I sharing this? Because sometimes we are so caught up in the way things are normally done, the way everyone else solves problems, or LIVES their lives, and we miss the obvious answers which can often be the simplest answers. It takes real courage to pause once a week to seek out the longings of your soul and think about what you need or want truly away from the noise of society. And then, beyond that, investigate new ways to fulfill those longings yourself. Sometimes fulfillment is found in the simple act of refraining from acting, that is: of rest.

I believe that’s one of the best gifts Judaism has given to us- not only the day of rest but the day to isolate ourselves from the judgements and calculations of others and just be. To listen to our heart’s longing. To find the answers to some of the most complex dilemmas, sometimes only requires something as simple as rest. 

Do you find time for rest? Do you have to calendar it into your schedule intentionally or has it become a habit? What might you gain from infusing a little rest in your week? What might you lose if you don’t? 

Now those are daring questions. 

Together, we're #keepingitsacred…

Rabbi Heather Miller

Founder, Keeping It Sacred

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