There is a line in the 1994 film Legends of the Fall that my older brother and I used to make fun of. Anthony Hopkins, who plays Colonel William Ludlow, is overwhelmed with joy about his sons being home from war. In a letter to his wife that is read on camera, Ludlow (Hopkins) dramatically states, “Both of my boys are under my roof and it is quite intoxicating!”
Throughout our childhood, my brother Jon and I would yell that line out loud repeatedly with ever more dramatic emphasis – “IT IS QUITE INTOXICATING!” We thought it was a ridiculous overly dramatic statement and we loved to ridicule it along with the movie.
This weekend, as I sat with my two sons at dinner, I must admit, I had a very different connection to that movie quote. My son Kaleb is home from college and for the first time in many months, our family is together. As I looked at my two grown boys sitting across from me, as I thought about how lucky I am to have them in my life, it no longer felt overly dramatic or hyperbolic to express my gratitude. And so yes, on Saturday night, I found myself saying – “both of MY boys are under MY roof and it is quite intoxicating!”
As Thanksgiving arrives, we are all looking forward to a season of gratitude intoxication.Thanksgiving provides us with an opportunity to reflect on that which we have in our lives and to bask in the joy that it provides us. This is a season in which we take stock of our blessings and pause to recognize them.
In truth, Judaism is a tradition that does not wait for a single day in which to experience this emotion. Our tradition seeks to provide us with gratitude on a regular basis. Every morning, Jews recite a series of fifteen blessings known as the nisim b’chol yom or the miracles of every day which thank God for the routine aspects of waking up in the morning. These blessings remind us to notice how the simple act of waking up, stretching, standing on earth and being free are miraculous. We begin the day with this intoxicating notion that being alive and healthy is an extraordinary reality.
Judaism emphasizes daily awareness of the blessings in our lives, constantly demanding that we see the richness that surrounds us. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel called this awareness radical amazement. He wrote, “Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement…get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted.”
And so yes during this holiday season, it is not overly melodramatic to say out loud, just like Anthony Hopkins, that you are quite intoxicated with joy. In fact, as Jews, we should all be finding a way to say that line every single day.
Wishing each and every one of you an intoxicatingly-grateful Thanksgiving season…
RBL
