A List of All My Sins

Thursday, September 29, 2016


In Judaism, there is a prayer called the Ashamnu, an acrostic of sorts – or whatever the right literary word is. On Yom Kippur, the Day of Repentance, we read the Ashamnu aloud, together, as a congregation, going through a literal ABCs of all our sins throughout the past year.

I relate to the Ashamnu & always find it to be one of the most compelling elements of the holiday – but I don’t always relate to the sins outlined in the prayer. This year, in the lead-up to the holiday, I found myself jotting down an Ashamnu of my own, specifically tailored to my own sins & mistakes. What would yours  include?

For the sin of projecting my anxiety onto others.
For the sin of boozing too much on the weekends.
For the sin of being cold during arguments.
For the sin of letting my apartment get so damn dusty.
For the sin of not exercising enough.
For the sin of occasional financial irresponsibility.
For the sin of gossiping with friends.
For the sin of being way too hard on myself.
For the sin of impatience & hurrying through life.
For the sin of not doing enough to fight for justice.
For the sin of not keeping in touch with those I love.       
For the sin of shelling out too much on lattes.
For the sin of not spending enough time with my mother.
For the sin of neglecting my plants so badly that they died.
For the sin of regularly oversleeping on work days.
For the sin of playing Pokémon Go at inappropriate times.
For the sin of staying quiet when I ought to speak out.
For the sin of not always knowing when or how to relax.
For the sin of taking too many selfies.
For the sin of indulging in trashy books & reality TV.
For the sin of eating unhealthy foods.
For the sin of vanity that compels me to buy $22 eyeliner.
For the sin of almost always wasting my leftover food.
For the sin of using social media to check up on my ex.
For the sin of coveting youth & not appreciating age.
For the sin of not pursuing Zen.

In the coming year, may we strive to do better & to be better. L'shanah tovah umetukah, may you have a good year & may you be inscribed for blessing in the Book of Life.

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