As a Rabbinic Pastor I get asked about my feelings regarding the “real world.” “How’ I am asked ‘do you deal with the infinite amount of problems in the world?
Seems that we don’t even have to wait for the evening news to learn about painful and difficult world events. The news spews out onto our smartphones both day and night.

As a Rabbinic Pastor I also live in the “real world.” I feel heard when a friend listens without interrupting and ‘sees’ me with eye contact. It’s when a family seeks pastoral advice regarding palliative care for a loved one. The real world is being an officiant who assists couples in making marriage arrangements that honor each others’ faith and traditions.

I venture to guess that each of us, day by day, has the possibility to be a real in our daily connections as the alerts on those smartphones.