Glamourdust

A few weeks agoת Israel suffered from the effects of a long, drawn-out dust storm in Syria. It was recorded as the most severe dust storm in the last 10 years. Lucky for us in Bet Shemesh, we not only had the highest temperatures, but we also had the most particulate matter per cubic meter. In other words, there was so much dust and sand in the air, you couldn’t see more than one or two kilometers into the distance.

Normally, I can see all the way to Tel Aviv on a clear day. My view is insanely gorgeous. On a very clear day, usually in the winter, I can see large sections of ocean as well. Over the past three days, however, all I saw from my balcony was thick gray dust.

Each morning, it took me a minute to remind myself that it wasn’t a misty winter fog that had blanketed the mountains around us. Oh, how I was looking forward to having a hot chocolate and enjoying the cool, fresh air!

Looking out the window, my senses were fooled into thinking that the inviting, illusory fog meant that winter had suddenly appeared overnight. But, alas, as I opened the front door, the blast of humid, muggy, stuffy air hitting me in the face quickly reminded me that winter was still a far-away fantasy…

This brought to mind that infamous phase: “Looks can be deceiving.” Can they ever! One major area that many people fall for this illusion is that they think the lives of the wealthy are easier and more fulfilling than ours, even though we may theoretically believe that they really do have their own set of problems. Even so, how many of us would rather have their problems than ours? We might fool ourselves into thinking that their problems are preferable, because their lives are so much more glamorous than ours.

I remember watching “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” as a kid and fantasizing that one day my life will be as perfect as those lucky rich ones. In fact, I got my Robin Leach impression down pat. If I was fantasizing as a kid, I can only imagine what dreams my parents were having when they watched that show!

Were they sighing their way through the entire show, feeling sorry for themselves that they didn’t score those millions in their current incarnation? Were their eyes being blinded by the 150 foot yachts and mansions with 20 bedrooms and two Olympic-size pools?

Hashem gave me a talent for connecting concepts that really have no connection. Nonetheless, I managed to connect dust and glamour, and I came up with the ingenious term, glamourdust. I should patent or copyright that word or something.

Here’s the official definition. Glamourdust is a spiritual dust that blinds people with its sparkling illusions of the good life, intentionally misleading them into redirecting their life’s purpose towards empty and meaningless pursuits.

Seriously, can somebody out there give me a bravo or something? Maybe they should rename “Webster’s” to “Racheli’s.” Maybe not.

As a result of people falling for this illusion, they spend their lives chasing things that they think will bring happiness. Five minutes after they receive the objects of their hearts’ desires, poof! The sparkle of the thing they were chasing disappears, and all that is left is dust. And the thing they were chasing. Actually, it’s like a dust-covered thing that’s left. Think of your grandma’s ancient lamp shade that never got dusted off.

The happiness, fulfillment, security, and peace of mind that we want can never be achieved by chasing materialism!

Most of us know this instinctively. Yet, how many of us live differently than this? How many of us really believe that with just a little (or a lot) more money in the bank, most of our problems will magically disappear? Or if we had a nicer car, fancier wardrobe, fill in the blank, our lives will suddenly turn into a fairy tale?

No such thing! This is life, not Aladdin!

How can we stop being blinded by the dust? One way is to simplify our lifestyles. When debating whether to buy yet another pair of $300 shoes or a new i-Whatever, ask yourselves: Do I really need this? Will buying this bring me happiness, health, or peace of mind?

If you can’t honestly answer “yes” to both questions, skip it.

Another way is to start re-prioritizing your life. What’s important that shouldn’t be, and what needs to be moved to the top of your priority list?

I hope that doing these two things will help all of us get that irritating glamourdust out of our eyes, so we can see life clearly, and start living it with true simplicity and purpose.