Growing up, I distinctly remember hearing people talk about how fast time goes. As a child (or even as a teen), I didn’t quite understand it because to me, time moved very, very, very slow… or at least so it seemed. Partly that was because my attention was on things that seemed to always drag on… like school. School breaks always seemed to take forever to arrive. And then, it was gone and I started thinking about the next one. 

 

I share this experience that I am sure many of you remember, but it has started to feel like time is now moving too quickly for me. I feel like that has happened since there is so much going on all around us right now. From rising costs for pretty much everything, and the invasion of Ukraine already in its second month, to the entertainment awards season coming to an end and Opening Day of the 2022 baseball season set for this Thursday (or Friday for some teams), our attention has been pulled in so many different directions that life seems to be moving much faster than it did when everything shut down two years ago due to COVID.

 

As an example, it feels like only yesterday that 2022 began, and yet, it’s the start of April and Passover is almost here. In a little over one week, Jews all over the world will gather around a table, surrounded by family and friends (many they may not have gotten together since 2020) to celebrate our freedom as they hold their Passover seder. This idea, or more specifically the appreciation of being able to celebrate our freedom carries new weight for many of us as we see the pictures from Ukraine that are being broadcast all over the media on a daily basis. The images, stories, and reports are unfathomable and we are not able to truly comprehend the enormity of what we are witnessing.

 

The concept of freedom is also on display in a different way this year as more and more people are feeling comfortable returning to their more “regular” activities as the mask mandates have been lifted. The Jewish Federation witnessed this firsthand as over 400 people came out to see one of the six indoor performances of Grumpy Old Men that were held these last two weeks. While no one has forecasted when the pandemic would be over, the vast majority of society is learning how to live (or co-exist) with the pandemic in far greater ways than ever before. And the attendance of our production illustrates this.

 

I hope you are able to spend some time this next week or so reflecting and preparing for Passover this year. As a reminder, please look through our 2022 Passover Resource Guide for inspiration and ideas to make this year’s celebration even more special. And look for our special Passover episode of Jewish Cooking Connection on Thursday.