Spotted Towhee : Progressing to Holiness

This is a Spotted Towhee, a bird that has completely captivated me the last several weeks. I first saw one at my “Shabbat park,” the place I go only then, the place I keep apart. I’m intentional about going, and I eagerly anticipate it each week. The park’s variety of terrain, habitat, and foods guarantees rich experiences. Somehow it’s only fitting that I first saw this entrancing little beast there.

Ending the Amidah each Erev Shabbat, we thank HaShem for what we’ve been given, and we ask for a bit more. That bit more is to feel Shabbat’s joy through the other days of the week, to be conscious of our life’s rhythm. My rabbi teaches that buying the wine on one day, setting out the kiddush cup the next, baking the challah the following, etc. keeps Shabbat forefront in our minds. These sparks of holiness, these daily offerings, remind me of what I have and where I’m going. Simple efforts, profound results.

Since gawking at my first Towhee, I’ve experienced dozens, mostly at my “workaday” park. I’m no longer gobsmacked by its newness, but I’m no less appreciative of its beauty. On the contrary, I feel like some piece of my initial wonderment has been infused into each “regular” day’s sighting. Each encounter has become like progressively setting the Shabbat table, a reminder of what I have and an anticipation to savor.