Cultivating “Dayenu” Energy: When It’s Enough

For Passover and beyond.

Some of my favorite Passover traditions aren’t exactly traditional. After all, we put an orange on our Seder plate and read from a Bob Marley Haggadah. One year, serving vegetarian Matzah ball soup and “Kosher for Passover” macaroni and cheese pushed one of my dinner guests right over the edge.

He demanded to see my conversion paperwork to prove I was really Jewish.

My favorite song at Passover, though, is quite traditional. It tells the story of Exodus, recounting a series of kindnesses that happened for the Jewish people during and after their escape from Egypt.

The song is called Dayenu, which means “it would have been enough.”

This idea of appreciating what we have rather than yearning endlessly for more resonates deeply beyond our holiday and our people.

From Scarcity to Abundance

As a death doula, I often ask my clients and their loved ones to pause and recognize that they don’t need to reach some unattainable standard to feel content. I’m also human; sometimes I have to remind myself…