Page 22 - Issue 31

Rosh Hashanah Reflections

By Lucy Basger, HDUK

Year after year, at some point during the last week of
December, I sit down with a notepad and a pen and
write down around five, usually self-orientated, New
Year’s resolutions.

Year after year, at some point during the first week of
January, I lose my notepad, I forget about my
resolutions, and I carry on living life as if they never
happened.

Around five weeks ago, as I was stood in rainy Port
Talbot, awaiting the arrival of my chanichim for the
start of mifkad, I started to think about what I had
achieved.

As I stood there and swayed through the kriot, trying
my hardest to be attentive and smiley at 8:30 in the
morning, after no more than 5 hours sleep, I couldn’t
help but try and create a list of things I had done to
positively affect the lives of other people… I could only
come up with three.

That summer was my fifth year as a madricha, and
only at that point did I realise that all three of my
proudest achievements relate to my Habonim Dror
experiences. The first would be the strong, independent
and confident person that I have become throughout
my seven years with the movement. I can’t explain why
this happened, but I thank all of my madrichim and
anyone who I have ever been on a tsevet with, allowing