A Little Effort Goes A Long Way

It’s almost winter break at work. (Yes, I did think about the perks of having school breaks off when I was deciding to become a school psychologist! Thanks for the excellent career suggestion, mom!) Since it’s almost break, there’s a lot of holiday parties and gatherings going on.

There was a potluck at work today. A teacher said to me, “I know pork isn’t kosher. Is it a problem if I warm up the pork in the microwave in the other room?” I explained that I have my own microwave in my office, so it’s no problem for her to warm up the pork in the communal microwave. Everyone in my office is aware that my microwave is “the kosher microwave.” When the communal microwave was broken for a day, people outside of my office asked to use mine. Before I had a chance to explain why they couldn’t, my coworkers already did the explaining for me!

Last week, one of my coworkers sent out an e-mail asking if some of us wanted to go outfor lunch The e-mail also said, “How about we go to Coffee Bean so everyone can eat?” As I wrote in my previous blog post, there is essentially no Jewish community where I work. So the one Coffee Bean location is the only place that has kosher food.

As I finished reading the e-mail, I was filled with thanks towards G-d for helping me keep the mitzvot. After I got married and started covering my hair, I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle invitations to eat at non-kosher restaurants. Before I covered my hair, I sometimes brought my kosher food and went to eat with my co-workers at a non-kosher restaurant. I always felt uncomfortable doing it because of marit ayin; if someone sees me eating in a non-kosher restaurant, it looks as if I’m violating halacha. However, I rationalized by saying that no one could tell I was Jewish. Yes, I was wearing a skirt and long sleeves, but anyone can wear that. And I just wasn’t at the level of not doing it yet. Everyone has their struggles and areas for growth, and that was mine. Now that I cover my hair, I feel as if I look “more Jewish.”  So I decided I wouldn’t feel comfortable bringing my food into non-kosher restaurants anymore. After I made that decision, G-d was there to help me by giving me amazing coworkers who came up with the suggestion of going to the one kosher restaurant in our area. I didn’t even have to ask!  I put in a little effort by making the resolution not to bring my food to non-kosher restaurants, and G-d took care of the rest.

Last year, when I hadn’t yet made the resolution to not bring my kosher food into non-kosher restaurants, I went to eat with some other school psychologists. As I began eating my kosher food, the waitress told me no outside food was allowed. My coworker quickly said, “She keeps kosher. If she’s not allowed to eat it in here, we’re going to leave and not order anything.” The waitress let me eat. At that point, I was at a different level, and G-d helped me with the level I was on at that time. G-d is with me every step of the way. On a lighter note, the food I was eating was a soy chicken patty with cheese. My coworker said, “I don’t know much about kosher. But I was pretty sure milk and meat isn’t okay.” I laughed and explained that the chicken was soy chicken. What a perfect reminder that I really am a representation of the Jewish people! I can look at it as a burden, but I look at it as a wonderful opportunity to represent the Jewish people in a positive light.

As my sister helped me realize, the comments I get about covering my hair and being Jewish are all so positive. Such as the speech therapist saying to me, “Wow, you look so classy.” Or a teacher saying, “Wow! You added a flower pin to your hair covering!” Or another teacher saying, “I love the bling on that one!” I was so curious about the comments and questions I would get once I started covering my hair. Once again, I made the resolution to cover my hair, and G-d helped me by showering me with positive comments from the people around me.

Sometimes all I have to do is put in a little effort on my part, and G-d does the rest.