Race to the Starting Line

“You got a fast car, but is it fast enough so you can fly away - you gotta make a decision” (TC)



The race is on - get moving!

  The year is now officially underway. We've made it this far once again. Yet, as with all new beginnings, there are certain expectations we have for ourselves, as well as promises we made to Hashem on Rosh ha'Shana and Yom Kippur that we must fulfill in the coming months. One thing is for certain - we must not sit back and relax now that the Day of Judgment is behind us. After all, we are essentially now preparing for the next Yom ha'Din.

If you have ever played the classic arcade racing game, you know the thrill and excitement of high speed driving that cannot be imitated on the roads of real life. Gripping the wheel and thrusting the pedal to the metal, you drive through a series of tight, challenging turns while avoiding "dangerous" collisions with other drivers. As you slow into turns and rebound from the frequent side-swipes, you keep your eyes on the clock as the time ticks.
But where are you going? What is the goal?
To complete the lap and make it to the starting line again before time expires.
"Am I going to make it?" you nervously think to yourself.
With a few moments to spare, you finally make your way to the "checkpoint" - the starting line - and begin a new lap. But the challenge now increases - you'll have less time to complete this new lap. If you made it this far, you surely can find a way to drive through the same course again.
Only faster. Better. Make smarter decisions. Crash less.

We all made it to the starting line and just pulled out once more, and, although we may have crashed a couple of times (bein odom l'Mokom) and brushed by others driving on the road of life (bein odom l'chaveiro) this past year , we are still alive and intact, thank G-D. We get to start the clock once again.
However, the responsibility that rests upon our shoulders is great. If we managed to make it this far, Hashem has faith that we'll do even a better job this year - in the new lap. We'll have to drive better. Safer. Bump around and crash less.
And the margin of error is slimmer since time will be tighter.
But we've been here before. We've done this lap before. Each day poses the same challenges - but we're smarter now. Stronger now. We've become better drivers.
Drive safely!

Say to yourself ten times today:
"Hashem, please help me overcome today's challenges so that I can better serve You!"