This morning, my son pointed his finger at the automatic sliding doors of his daycare and when they opened, he laughed the most joyful laugh, like sliding doors opening was the biggest miracle he’d ever seen, his very own parting of the Red Sea, as if it wasn’t a thing that happens every single day. And he didn’t stop laughing for a while, allowing the security guard at the door and the other parents around me to share in this moment of unbridled, uncomplicated joy, his simple, infectious sweetness. It felt like he was giving us all a little comfort to buoy us through the day.
A lot of us are feeling despondent this morning in response to the results of the U.S. presidential election. When we asked the Kveller audience on Instagram how you are feeling, overwhelmed, anxious, awful, gutted, depressed, devastated, pissed off, concerned and terrible were just some of the refrains we heard. One follower told us about being pregnant and terrified in Florida. “Feeling like consuming an entire Costco-size bottle of Benadryl, to be honest,” another follower wrote, and we want to say, first of all, please don’t, and second of all, we are here for you. And yes, other readers responded that they are feeling relaxed and relieved, even fantastic about the election results, but the overwhelming number of respondents, just like the majority of Jews in this country who voted for Kamala Harris, are having a rough day today. As someone who loves her fellow Jews, all I can say is: I wish I could be there to hug each and every one of you.
Obviously, I can’t do that (though if you know me and see me today and need a hug, I do have one for you). But in the spirit of wanting to provide Jewish comfort in this moment, here is a list of some things you could do that feel a little like that hug we all need right now:
1. If your kids are also struggling, listen to “The Feeling Song” and hug it out. Remind them that you will always do all you can to keep them safe and loved.
2. Eat goldfish crackers/bamba/whatever it is your heart desires for breakfast/lunch/dinner. Meals are just a construct.
3. Read the sweet poems of Jewish creator Loryn Brantz.
4. Eat a bowl of chicken soup, Morrocan harira soup, or any of these Jewish soups that soothe the soul.
5. Bake challah, maybe with your kids, maybe not. It’s occupational therapy, it will fill your house with the most amazing smell and it will provide healing carbs.
6. If you want to channel the healing power of baking but need even more sweetness, bake babka, madelbrot, ma’amoul or rugelach.
8. Go for a shpatzir (aimless walk) by yourself or with your family. Feel the leaves crunching under your feet if you’re in that position, or just the air on your face. We Jews have taken comfort and found awe and meaning in nature for centuries.
9. Do Elmo’s positive affirmations. And if those aren’t enough, do a YouTube yoga or Zumba class.
10. Print out some Jewish coloring pages, put a bunch of markers and crayons on your dining room table and just color with your kiddos and find your inner child. If you’re more ambitious, take out some airdry clay and make Hanukkah crafts like menorahs and dreidels.
11. Put your phone down and truly watch “Sesame Street,” or whatever other show your kids currently fancy, maybe “Bluey,” with them.
12. Do a Jewish karaoke with your family and friends — Simon & Garfunkel, Lesley Gore and Carole King have songs that are perfect to belt out today.
13. Cry to (or just listen to) music that makes your sadness feel seen. One of my favorite songs to listen to when I’m melancholy is “Lo Livkot,” or “Don’t Cry,” by Aya Zehavi Feiglin. Its chorus goes: “Don’t cry/Don’t cry now/There are still songs that we will need to sing/Don’t cry/Don’t cry now/Soon the wind will return to your sails,” and it somehow gives me permission to cry and also uplifts me. Leonard Cohen, Ofra Haza, Regina Spektor and Vanessa Carlton all have great songs to cry to, too.
14. Text a friend you haven’t talked to in a while who you know might also be struggling today and check in. So many of us need connection today, and I’m sure it will be appreciated.
15. Go out there and find a friend to hug. Go on.
16. Turn off the lights, get in bed, snuggle up with a steaming cup of tea or something stronger and do nothing (or watch a comforting show). You are allowed to just grieve today.
17. Organize a Shabbat dinner. Whether you observe Shabbat or not, make plans to disconnect this Shabbat and be in community. Invite friends over for a hearty meal or just some takeout pizza.
18. Kveller contributor Jordana Horn wrote on her Instagram this morning, “Fighting is hope,” and that felt like a warm hug to me. So keep fighting, in community, for a future that you hope for.
Whatever you need today, give yourself the grace to find it, and in the meantime, we are sending a warm virtual hug to all those who need it.
