I know there is some "holiday fatigue" that my tribespeople feel at this point in Tishrei. But my Shemini Atzeret feeling is bittersweet. I feel like my immediate family has just gotten into a rhythm of being together, and we really thrive as a unit.
I realized this past weekend that we would have to get used to regular schedules again, and it made me sad, and made me notice how well we had started getting along in holiday mode: Things that would ordinarily be annoying, are funny. We share stories and ideas with each other instead of with random friends or colleagues. We have time to finish reading books and playing games that we had procrastinated.
For me, honestly, the hard part is the start of the season, when we are suddenly faced with a lot of family down-time. No electronics, no going to work, very little in the way of chores at home. Instead, lots of time with kids home from school, walking to synagogue, eating meals together. That's a lot of togetherness! Usually, the five of us have our disparate schedules, lives, communities, which are somewhat cut off during these long stretches.
It takes about three major Jewish holidays for us to become our cohesive unit, and then, we're back to real life. Well, there's always 5774!
