We decided to believe the CDC and went for neighborhood walks several times today without bringing masks with us! It was easy to distance ourselves from the few people we saw – but it did feel strange not to have a mask at hand. Tomorrow, we’ll definitely have a mask for the Farmers’ Market whether or not they are requiring one.
Shir Hadash’s Rabbi Emertia, Rabbi Aron, is leaving town for a couple of years; she and her husband are moving to Washington, DC, to be closer to their grandchild and two of their children. There was a “drive-by” goodbye this afternoon, which gave us a chance to talk with her for a while; she also led Shir Shabbat services this morning.
I wasn’t able to attend most of the service, though, because I was competing in the District 101 Toastmasters Table Topics contest – there were six contestants, all division champions. The question was “When is the time to stop calculating the risks and rewards and just do what you know is right?” I had given several speeches in the past about the danger of analysis paralysis and the need to make a decision and act on it, so it was right up my alley. I even quoted Yoda at the end! And I won. The speech was recorded; I am looking forward to watching the recording and finding out what I said.
We celebrated by going to Burrell School and picking up our latest shipment and doing a tasting – it was a cool day, so I was glad to be able to sit inside. We wore masks until we started tasting, of course.