The Gift of Time
On February 29th we all woke up with an extra day on the calendar. Most of us went about our regular Thursday, took the kids to school, went to work, errands, etc, BUT what if we didn’t? What if you had given a gift to yourself and spent the day engaging in self-care or doing something fun with friends or family. Every 4 years, the calendar gives us this gift of an extra day.
There are lots of traditions and folklore around leap day. Some include; coins minted during a leap year are considered to be lucky charms, Leaplings (people born on a Leap year) have been known to invite people to their Sweet 16 party to mark their 64th year, and the Hindu and Hebrew calendars add an extra month instead of just an extra day. While these are fun and interesting facts, the most interesting thing about Leap day is the idea that you have an extra day to pause and reflect on what and who is around you.
At Na’aleh one of our core practices is Hit’orerut, awaken to the web of connections. The idea behind Hit’orerut is that leadership involves seeing the whole. It requires that you become aware of the complex and evolving systems in which you live and work, and the ways in which these connections and cultures influence how you act in the world. There is a connection between the core practice Hit’orerut and Leap day in that Leap day gives us that extra time to become more aware of what is around us.
The practice of Hit’orerut isn’t always easy, we get stuck in our own work or mental models and don’t always see what is around us. This is the ultimate stop and smell the roses moment. When practicing Hit’oreut it’s important to pause, look what’s happening around you and how might the people around you be feeling before leaping to judgement or solution.
We are also celebrating a leap year in the Hebrew Calendar with Adar 1 and Adar 2. In the Hebrew calendar, Adar is the month of simcha, where we celebrate the holiday of Purim. The Purim story involves a lot of different aspects, but the one aspect that I thought was always interesting was the part where Esther had to understand the system of the kingdom and how everyone worked within it to make sure she could save the Jews. Esther was demonstrating Hit’orerut. She paused, learned the kings idiosyncrasies, learned how Haman and the king interacted, understood how the king reacts to his staff and so on. Because of her understanding, listening, and considering of all the moving parts, Esther was able to ultimately save the Jews and each year we celebrate Purim in honor of her.
The story of Esther and the idea behind leap year reminds all of us that while our lives are busy, sometimes overwhelming, to be an effective agent of change, we all need to pause, awaken ourselves and see the whole picture of who and what is in front of us
