Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Jogging-induced Jewish guilt UPDATED

This morning, my boyfriend went to synagogue and I did not. I felt a bit guilty--not that I've gone in recent years, even for the High Holidays, but peer pressure is not a negligible force, even in religious matters. But I had a lot to get done today, so I figured it wasn't the best day to find God, when doing pretty much anything would have been procrastination.

Eventually, though, some procrastination was needed, so I went for that most productive-seeming procrastination: running. As I ran around Prospect Park, I began to notice that most people around me were Orthodox or Hasidic Jews, on their way from shul, (prayer?) book in hand. And there I was, running. Well, jogging, not that that makes it any better. Listening to a Monty Python album rather than, say, music; again, not that that makes it any better.

UPDATE

This may ease the guilt, especially if it's preceded by fasting, not jogging.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you, thank you, for killing my Reihan Salaam theory.

Phoebe Maltz Bovy said...

What's a Reihan Salam theory?

Anonymous said...

I feared your school girl crush on him had developed into something disturbing.

Anonymous said...

What a mystery this is!

Anonymous said...

Ah yes, Camembert helps ease everything... Thank G-d I'm excepted from the fasting thing :)