Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 8 Iyar, 5785

Good morning! Today we continue our Omer journey by focusing on endurance.  Today? We are looking at the focus or discipline of endurance.

What is our purpose or goal for what we are enduring? Is the goal merely survival? Or are we working towards something?

What is our intent? Some of us wake up in the morning with no drive or purpose. We are going through the motions each day.

Last night, I had the privilege of watching the new Marvel movie, Thunderbolts* with my oldest daughter.

No spoilers, but the beginning of the movie shows what “going through the motions” looks like. There is no higher calling, no higher purpose.

The point of the story here? It’s about how guilt and shame can block this drive. We feel so guilty and ashamed of our past? We believe we don’t deserve anything greater.

We lose our drive when we stuff the shame and guilt within us, instead of leaning into it.

This is the true endurance. Can we be disciplined enough to navigate challenging emotions? And wake up each morning knowing that we are trusted?

Part of my conversation with my oldest kid was around how a lot of our anxiety comes from not trusting the future version of ourselves. The person I will be tomorrow? Can I trust him to do what he needs to do? Or do I need to bend over backwards today to try and make his life easier, because he has too much on his plate, and I just want him to have it easier?

What if? I don’t dump stuff on him that is mine to deal with, and I don’t take stuff he could do because I don’t trust him?  How might that shift our endurance?

In closing? This idea is really about time travel. How do we take care of ourselves in this moment, in this 30-60 second window – in order to trust tomorrow I can handle what will come my way?

This is the discipline of endurance. What do you think?

Here are my thoughts from last year:

Good morning!  Today is Day 23 of the Omer. Today’s theme is “Discipline of Endurance”

From Chabad:

Examine the discipline of your endurance. Endurance must be directed toward productive goals and expressed in a constructive manner. Is my endurance and determination focused to help cultivate good habits and break bad ones? Or is it the other way around? Does my endurance come from strength or weakness? Does it come out of deep conviction or out of defensiveness? Am I ever tenacious out of stubbornness and an unwillingness to acknowledge errors? Am I invested in certain decisions and not prepared to review them? Do I use my endurance against itself by being tenacious in my lack of determination?

Exercise for the day: Break one bad habit today.

I love the contemplation above.  What is the source of endurance? Are we trying to survive? Or is our endurance something more intentional? Is the source of endurance from strength – running towards something or running away from something? Strength or weakness? What is my heart and discipline here?