Last week, a few days before New Year’s Eve, I had lunch with a good friend.  After the initial catch up pleasantries, we started talking about our respective lives, how they have been changing recently and how the ebb and flow sometimes makes it impossible to navigate.  We talked about how, as we age, the idea of our own mortality comes to the forefront of your mind often without you even knowing it.  We each have children and agreed that this only amplifies the fleeting moments of life.  With one turn around the block pushing the stroller, you find that 15 years have passed and your family is suddenly grown.  The conversation meandered along and we ended up talking about happiness and, given this quick passage of time, how important it is to grab it and run.  Or at least to recognize when it comes and relish it.

With New Year’s Eve looming ahead, I said that I hoped that the new year would symbolize a new start.  By new start, I meant a renewed focus on creating my own happiness and letting it flourish.  In ‘Karen-speak’ that means getting the Hell out of your own way and really living in the happiness you create, not just letting it be fleeting.  Or as Gandhi purportedly said, “be the change you want to see in [your] world.”  Obviously, with my tiny word change there. . . .

This particular friend of mine is an insightful, thoughtful and connected person and also happens to be Jewish.  I could tell by the look on her face as I talked that she was cultivating an idea.  So I waited.  Then she told me a story about something in Jewish culture that I had never heard before and that, now, will forever stick with me.

It’s not a new concept.  In fact, it’s extremely old.  Probably many or maybe all of you reading this now have already heard of it.  But it was new to me.  New and in the moment and the many moments after, had a significant impact on me.  The concept is called Gematria and here is my layman’s description of it.  If nothing else I hope you will see how incredibly cool it is and understand how it could easily define the way in which you live your life this next year.

Gematria is an ancient system or “cipher” in Jewish culture.  Simply put Gematria is a code that assigns a numeric value to every word, name, or phrase.  It is believed that the various words or phrases that have identical numerical values bear some relation to each other, or to the number itself as it may apply to nature, a person’s age, the calendar year, or the like.  (“Gematria – Wikipedia…“).  I guess you could say it is ancient Hebrew numerology.

To me, the idea of assigning a number to words and phrases is interesting in and of itself.  I am definitely one of those horoscope loving, birth, and death date obsessed people who look for the underlying meaning of the timing of everything.  So, this sort of made me want to run out and figure out the numerical assignment for all the important shit in my life.  But then my friend added a twist.  She went on to explain that there is a frequently used Hebrew word that is often given as an example of Gematria.  It is the word “chai“, which in Hebrew means “alive” or “life”.  Using the Gematria cipher, “chai” is assigned the number 18.  The use of both the word “chai” and its number assignment is frequent in Jewish culture and is typically meant to give someone the gift of life or luck.  You can probably see where I am going with this…..

Since the new year is 2018, I began to see all the wonderful implications of chai and the commencement of this new year.  It honestly seems to radiate truly positive energy to me.  Thanks to this simple conversation with my friend, I have since decided to create a specific intention for this year.  To really celebrate life this year, not taking any moment for granted.  To celebrate being truly alive, finding my best self and living my most authentic life.  There is something very compelling about this idea to me as I begin 2018.  That is, to celebrate the joy of life in every moment – every moment – because you can surely find some joy in almost everything if you look hard enough.  And for me, the more important suggestion is to fully live happiness, for myself and those I love.

I should say that my friend is also one of the owners of my cycling studio (CycleFierce).  I’ve written about them before.  (You can find it here:  Find Your Badass.)  As is often the case during the rides that she leads, the same kind of message, one of personal strength and authenticity, seems to easily break through all the sweat and breathlessness.  We all seem to really kick it up when we hear her cue us to “Sprint for the next 30 seconds of your life.  Live it fully.”  So, it’s really not surprising that she would also be the one to connect the meaning chai and “18” to the new year.

I – and I’m sure you too – have heard the derivative of chai  –“L’ Chaim”, which is used to toast someone or something and means “to life!”  Here is my version of this toast to myself and you . . . . . . .

“To living happy in 18!”  Here’s to strength, resilience and stepping out of your comfort zone to find your truth no matter how hard that may be or how much resistance life throws your way.  Let’s Live Happiness.

 

“L’Chaim”   “18”    “to Life”

 

**  Friendship, strength and Jewish culture cred to jensebeny.