Tag Archives: Passover

Jun3

A flight of New England Fancy – Visiting Massachusetts in the Spring

Posted on by
Standard

It’s been a while since I’ve been back to Massachusetts… I think it was for Dillon and Liz’s wedding, wasn’t it? That’s sounding right… though I frankly can’t believe that was only six months ago. These last few months have felt like forever, and it was high time that I got back East. The rock was calling, family and friends beckoned, and I hadn’t seen my Grandma in far, far too long…


This… uhh… this post was supposed to go first. So… pretend that it was first?



Friday, 15-May-2022 through Monday, 25-May-2022

It’s been a while since I’ve been back to New England… and now thanks to COVID I have full capability to work remotely… So off I flew to Boston!

The plan was pretty simple:
– Spend Passover with the family in Amherst
– Spend Easter with the family in New York
– Work remotely for the middle of the week
– Go climbing with friends on Friday
– Spend Saturday at a convention that my Mom and Stepdad were running
– Spend Sunday catching up with friends
– Work remotely on Monday, then fly home in the evening


And, if I may say so, it went off without a hitch!

I’ve been working at being slower, this year… not trying to pack in as many little things, and focusing in a bit more on what I’m actively doing at the time. It’s been challenging, especially with constant injuries needing more and more of my time to deal with, but… this week was a chance to really focus in on that plan.

Not being home meant that I didn’t have access to the infinite distractions of my apartment, which definitely aided in zeroing my mind in on a single activity. I wasn’t perfect, of course, but… you know what? I had an amazing time, and felt quite happy by the time the flight home rolled around.

May18

A flight of New England Fancy – A passover Seder!

Posted on by
Standard

It’s been a while since I’ve been back to Massachusetts… I think it was for Dillon and Liz’s wedding, wasn’t it? That’s sounding right… though I frankly can’t believe that was only six months ago. These last few months have felt like forever, and it was high time that I got back East. The rock was calling, family and friends beckoned, and I hadn’t seen my Grandma in far, far too long…


Saturday, 16-May-2022

Man… I can’t remember the last time I had a Passover Seder with my family in person. It must have been at least three or four years… Pre-Covid, definitely, and I’m pretty sure that it was noticeably before then.

This was a unique chance – COVID had died down enough that everyone was (hesitantly) comfortable meeting in person, assuming we all took a couple tests ahead of time, and the whole family was in one place for the first time in… jeeze. At least 10 years, if I’m remembering correctly.

Granted, it was also a bit melancholy… this was the first year that we were missing an entire generation. Melancholy, but also important – as the first year without either my Grandma or Grandpa, it was important for us all to get together and celebrate our heritage, family, and the spirit that the show goes on… even if those who founded the show have passed away.


We ate, we drank, we fulfilled the mitzvot of the Seder.

We caught up, played with the newest youngsters, and used the time we had together as best we could. It was, undoubtedly, a good Seder.


As a small note to future version of myself – this is a good spot to note just where my mental state was, these days. It wasn’t great, truth be told. Spending time with family, and away from my normal haunts, was absolutely good for me… but it was being a tough year.

As a tangible example: I didn’t realize that it was Passover until I arrived, and was looking for crackers to snack on. “Cracker’s aren’t kosher for Passover, Ben!”

I knew that I was going to Mass for the Seder. I knew that a Seder meant Passover. But I never made the connection that “Going to Mass” meant “Passover”. I just didn’t have the spoons to make that connection, until it was kinetically right in front of me.

Yeah. I needed that break.

Apr16

A virtual Passover, 2021 edition

Posted on by
Standard

Sunday, 28-Mar-2021

I can’t quite remember Passover from last year.

This blog reminds me that I took a bike ride, and that I found it to be gloriously relaxing and quiet – and that we supposedly did a zoom Seder the next day. I can’t quite remember it on my own though… I guess that’s part of why I keep this blog, right? To help me remember the details that I might have forgotten?

I don’t know how I should feel about not recalling Passover, though. The photos that I took do remind me a little bit of the ride, but only tangentally.

I miss seeing people in person, but that’s nothing unique to me – everyone’s feeling that way since COVID-19 locked us all down; I just find it more noticeable during the holidays.



Anyways, this year seemed fairly similar – a zoom Seder, with everyone calling in from wherever they may be at the time.

I took a few pictures, but to be frank none of them came out quite well – especially in comparison to how well the video Seder went. It was excellent – a bit chaotic, a bit confusing, and quite a bit different… but that’s how a family event should go, right? Everyone clamoring to catch up with everyone else, with the framework of the Seder itself helping us navigate the paths and plans of the event?

It was good – We all got to walk through the Seder together, catching up with everyone along the way. We read, we talked, we walked through the story, and then chatted as we ate the meal together.

It’s interesting to me, how much shorter events like this go when they’re virtual, though… Normally a Seder would last for a few hours, nearly being a half-day or a full day event. I mean, the Seder itself wouldn’t, but we’d spend quite a bit of time talking on the couches, relaxing during or after the meal, that sort of thing. This time, the entire zoom call lasted maybe two or three hours – definitely a long time to maintain focus, but shorter than it would have been had we been there in person.

I don’t think it’s a bad thing, or a good thing… just a thing. Something interesting to note – I wonder how next year’s Seder will go, if it is finally in person…



We talked, we ate, and then we signed off. It was a good day, and a nice window back into getting to see everyone in person again.