shana tova!

This morning as I was driving down Pico, 2 bakeries had lines out the door of people waiting to get their round raisin challah for the Rosh Hashana table tonight. Of the three 'New Years' I celebrate (Persian, Jewish, and the familiar Gregorian), I've always been biased towards the Persian one: the first day of spring seems like the perfect time to take stock and start anew, with everything green and blooming around us. But this year, my own birthday falls on Rosh Hashana. And I feel a little more introspective than usual. The past few months I've begun questioning the direction my life has taken so far. I don't know what's coming up for me, but I am sure there will be a lot of decisions to be made, and major changes, probably including some I haven't foreseen and will totally throw me for a loop. Something new is definitely brewing, so for me, starting a new year today makes perfect sense.

So, as I sit with my family tonight and eat from the circular challah, designed to remind us of the cycle of time, year to year, I'll be asking myself some questions. Am I just going to let the cycle repeat itself this year? Or am I going to take an active role in determining where I'll be a year from now, making changes to pull myself higher and higher?

I hope this year is one of peace, discovery, and fun for myself and for our world. Shana tova!