Every now and then, I like to check my “needometer.”  Similar to the odometer on my car, my needometer measures how high or low a particular factor in my life is moving. What is this factor?  Ahhh, my needs. As I get older, I like to think my neediness and insecurities diminish and my confidence and gratitude for what I have increases.  But in reality, the neediness does lurk beneath the surface – even at this stage in my life — and I have to keep it in check!

Okay, not to put myself down too much. I do feel quite grateful most of the time for the blessings in my life thank G-d. But hey, I’m human and sometimes I get kind of whiny and pouty and get into my “poor me” syndrome.  So that’s where my trusty needometer is used; I quickly fill myself up with prayer, gratitude, and lots of work on being focused and centered. It usually works.

Yesterday, at the swimming pool where I take my aqua aerobics class (read: engaging in “aerobics” mean ladies my age treading water in place, huffing and puffing!), I realized how my needometer was on its high end, and I took note of that. (not that I did something about it yet, but I’m working on that).

Here’s what happened: my instructor asked us to do a particular movement in the water. As I began to do the exercise, while chatting with my friend next to me (chatting in class???), I heard the instructor say to another student, “Look at Miriam – see how she is doing it? That’s the way you should do it!”

Well, to say that that was a tremendous boost to my somewhat fragile confidence in my athletic abilities, would be an understatement!!  I was beaming, proud, and really pleased.

And then after I calmed down (and got back to work), I realized how important it is for me— and all of us — to check our needometers. Don’t wait for others to give us compliments. Know our worth, before they do. So when they do, we can just smile and say,

Thanks.

Oh -by the way,  I think I did say “Thank you,” to my instructor