How do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in a word….Tradition
Okay, maybe I’ve seen Fiddler on the Roof a few too many times (it’s a great book, play and movie. Suddenly I’m having flashbacks of playing Tzeitel as a teenager!). But it’s the key word, tradition, that I have been thinking about a lot lately. Maybe it’s the time of year, or maybe it’s the state of the world we live in.
As Tevye says in his opening monologue, “because of our traditions, we’ve kept our balance for many, many years.” Whether it’s a man speaking from his small village at the turn of the 20th century, or me, living in Toronto in 2025, this statement is accurate. I think we all try to find balance in our lives, and embracing our traditions is important.
There are particular times of the year when many of the world’s religions celebrate holidays around the same time. In 2025, within a few weeks Muslims observed Ramadan, Christians will participate in Easter this coming weekend, and right now it is Passover for Jews. These are more than just religious events where people follow specific rituals. They are all steeped in tradition.
For me, over the past week, as I prepared for, then celebrated Passover, with my family and friends, so many memories flashed before my eyes. These memories gave me comfort, a lot of joy, and yes, even a bit of sadness.
Why do I turn my kitchen upside down? Did I really need to scrub that corner, of that drawer? What was I thinking when I decided to have a Passover set of everything from plates to cutlery to pots and pans? Does schlepping boxes up and down the stairs, over and over, count towards my daily fitness goals?
My Passover Seder table, set by my daughter and her friends this year, was covered in stories of our family and its history. There were papier mâché Seder plates, strangely constructed cups, matzo covers, placemats, something one could call art, plastic animals and more, scattered across the table.
The food was an eclectic mix of old and new. We had everything from my famous “mother-in-law” chicken soup, that my mother-in-law taught me how to make when I got married years ago, to a lemon roast chicken recipe I found using a Google search to sumptuous meatballs, from an Italian recipe! We dipped parsley in salt water, ate bitter herbs (I used endives this year!), and some people made a valiant effort to drink four cups of wine.
We went around the table and read, we hastily flew through some songs as we hungrily approached dinner, and we belted out, with assigned characters and silliness, the final song of the night.
Why did we do this? I can tell you in one word….
Tradition.
Okay, so that’s one very specific example. Holidays bring out some of our closest, and sometimes, craziest traditions. I’m not sure if singing about a goat who was eaten by a cat who was hit by a dog…. Or consuming inordinate amounts of “unleavened” bread helps us keep our balance, but I do believe that the essence of them does.
Whether it’s a tradition associated with a holiday, like Passover, Ramadan or Easter, or anything else in your life, it keeps you centered. It reminds you that there is more to life than getting ready for the big presentation at work, or maybe getting that job promotion.
Most of us lead very busy lives, in our modern and very demanding world. We rush from one task to another. We have welcomed tools like AI or automation to enable us. But our traditions – they make us slow down a bit. They help us reflect on where we came from, the people who have helped us along the way, and the memories of those we miss most.
Some of our best traditions don’t have to be connected to a religion or culture. They may exist amongst friends, family or even colleagues. For example, at a previous job, I built up a tradition with a colleague (who is now a very good friend!) of taking regular walking breaks and specifically circling the garbage cans to get extra steps.
After we had established our walking pattern, we just had to say, “are you ready for a garbage can break,” to know that one of us was stressed and needed the other person to come walking. I could call her right now and mention the garbage can break, and she will smile – and she will join me for a walk.
Maybe it’s a summer camp tradition, or a family vacation, or certain words you use that have a special meaning to specific people (my mother knows what Kogel is and my husband’s extended family will smile when someone mentions a fake-o sunset). Our traditions make us pause and think of the people with whom we are connected.
So, the next time you see a friend from university and sing the song you made up when you studied for that nasty physics final exam, or you are cooking the dish your grandmother taught you years ago, smile. Take a pause. Remember that your traditions have helped bring you balance.
