By Betzy Lynch
LA JOLLA, California — The mailbox reads, “Put your worries in the box, I’ll take care of them for you.”
A place to cradle our most vulnerable thoughts
not dismissed, not forgotten,
but nurtured, held.
Is it possible to worry and be happy?
Worry is a wrestling match
with our past,
our present,
our future.
Worry without boundaries spirals.
Worry without a dose of reality is a lie.
Worry without recognition is a wet blanket dampening our hopes and dreams.
Worry is an internal dance we do alone:
only we know the steps,
only we hear the music,
only we feel the rhythm.
A worry kept only by us, a worry not shared
may hide, but it will always return:
in our quiet thoughts,
our screaming doubts,
our sleepless dreams.
And still, we hesitate.
We don’t share because
we fear being dismissed,
we fear being embarrassed,
we fear being demoralized,
we fear becoming a laughingstock.
When are we brave enough to leave a note in the mailbox
to share our worry with someone else?
But imagine
imagine if the mail carrier offered us a blessing in exchange for our worry
a blessing of being judged with favor,
a blessing of forgiveness for things we have yet to do, a blessing for wrestling with ourselves and with the Divine.
Then a worry shared
a worry blessed with care
becomes a deposit in trust,
an investment in love,
a magical bridge shrinking the space
between ourselves and G-d,
ourselves and our self.
The mailbox reads, “Put your worries in the box, I’ll take care of them for you.”
This poem was inspired by street art I saw in Tel Aviv in September 2025. The artist hangs small signs and boxes throughout the city with clever messages like, “Put your worries in the box, I’ll take care of them for you.” I wrote it today in reflection on this week’s Torah portion, where we read the famous story of Jacob becoming Israel as he wrestles with his conscience, an angel, or perhaps the Divine itself.
May this week offer you the chance to find a mailbox for your worries and a carrier who will hold them with love.
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Betzy Lynch is chief executive officer of the Lawrence Family JCC.