By Rabbi Karyn Kedar
Now we are arguing about when and how we get back into real life – just when in this life I’m living began to feel real. My life is real. The sadness, the joy, the determination, the lack of energy I feel somedays and the commitment I feel the next day not to give into lethargy, the daily walks, the meals, the music, the news that seeps into my fears like a cancer of desperation, the prayers for healing and wholeness for our world, my work, the poem I just discovered, the hope, the hope. This is my life. It is real.

I’ve always hated the phrase, it is what it is.

Sometimes I hear a shrug in the tone of voice, a resignation, it is what it is. I don’t believe we should resign or give up the fight or the effort or the commitment or the journey to shine, to live to the fullest. Sometimes I hear cynicism in the tone, a passive aggressive slap, sarcasm: Well! It is what it is. Then there are the times that I hear a quiet sigh of desperation, a retreat into a sadness, we shrug our shoulders: it is what it is. Let’s retire that phrase. It is a spiritual travesty, a psychological road block, unsupportive communication, an act of aggression towards all that is good and beautiful in this world.

Rather, let us say, what is, is.

We could begin a revolution in attitude, perspective and emotional well-being with a simple change of syntax...read more