Before you block out the trauma – sorry, the “spiritual growth opportunity” – that was this year’s Passover, let’s hit pause for just a minute. (As you know, I’m a Pesach realist who knows it isn’t all rainbows and unicorns of spiritual highs while bleaching the bathroom.)
Because somewhere between the forgotten Pyrex, the gluten-free matza regret, and the cleaning schedule that left you yelling by candlelighting… there’s gold. Specifically, gold you can mine right now to make next year less awful.
This isn’t about guilt or perfection. It’s about being kind to Future You by writing down what worked, what didn’t, and what absolutely needs to be avoided at all costs.
In this post, I’ll walk you through five small, sanity-saving steps you can take while this Pesach is still fresh in your mind – no planner overhaul or Pinterest spreadsheets required.
Grab your calendar, pour something caffeinated, and let’s make next year’s Pesach better. Or at least less awful.
Transcript below, as always.
Transcript:
Before you block out the trauma… oops, I mean “experience” of Pesach.
Let’s make life easier for Future You. I know, this is a little late. But it’s better late than never. What I want you to do right now is to write down notes for yourself for next Pesach. Make Passover easier for yourself next year. Don’t be surprised. Write down what you forgot to get.
Take advantage of these memories while they’re still fresh. So that next Pesach doesn’t sneak up on you, at least not as much.
Hi, I’m Kochava, Jewish convert and Pesach realist and the creator behind Building a Jewish Life.com.
I help folks build meaningful Jewish lives without burnout or perfectionism.
Today we’re gonna talk about five things you can do to make Future You’s life easier next year.
Get out your calendar, Find the few weeks before Pesach next year, and write it in. Even better, just program Pesach notes in early March of every year, and set it to repeat every year and then just write your notes every year in it.
Don’t be me. I saw my Pesach notes entry this year, and I didn’t read it because I didn’t think it had anything in it. Except it told me I needed to buy Pyrex, and we desperately needed that Pyrex over chag, and I did not have it.
Number one, write down what worked. This is the easiest one. Foods, timing, stuff that helped.
Two, also obvious. What didn’t work? The new recipe that tasted like cardboard.
The cleaning schedule that had you yelling at your kids by candle lighting.
That $18 box of gluten-free matza that tasted gross.
Three, create a “do differently next year” list.
Four. Make notes about the foods you liked and the foods you hated. If you have children, especially do this, write down what they were willing to eat, every single item of it if your kids are picky.
Write down what they didn’t like, which we all know is not actually very useful of a list, but maybe it is for you.
And lastly, five. Be kind to yourself in the rear view mirror. You did the best you could. Let’s do better next year.
What do you wanna do differently next year? Write it down in the comments below so we can steal, I mean, share ideas.
Hit like if you survived this year.
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Enjoy your chametz.
