30 Jun Gifting Their Wedding Gifts – Cheers to That!

After several years of working in the ER, I have learned that if I can breathe without a machine, walk without a cane, pee without a bag, and eat without a tube, I am one lucky human. The fact that I wake up every day and have the ability to get out of my own bed is enough to give me an overwhelming sense of gratitude. As life gets as life tends to get, I remind myself that it is a privilege to feel tired after a long day at work and a gift to feel the soreness of my arthritic knee after a good workout. I am alive and I am grateful for it – it’s really as simple as that. So what does one do with this life? Do I just live it? Wake up – go to work – go to sleep – rinse – repeat? Or do  I make it mean something? And if I choose to have it mean something, how do I infuse meaning into it? Countless humans, significantly smarter than I, have pondered these questions, and there is a plethora of profound answers out there.  I have decided to answer  it through a lens of gratitude. I infuse meaning into my life by allowing this sense of gratitude to parent the actions in my life.

The woman that I have chosen to marry is of the same mindset, and together we try to lead a life that is navigated by a sense of how fortunate we are. When we began to plan our wedding, we knew that we wanted to find a way for the event that signifies our unification to also signify our way of life.

We are so happy for Efrat & Gina, and so proud to be a part of their journey!

We were conflicted about the incongruity of paying thousands of dollars for an event that lasts a few hours and feeds 50 people when there is so much out there that needs to be done. Yet at the same time, we did not want to miss out on the opportunity to celebrate with our friends and family. So we decided to turn the event of our wedding into an opportunity to affect change. We decided to forego accepting gifts and asked our guests to instead donate to foundations that are close to our hearts. My partner, Gina, chose the Best Friends Society – a foundation that helps rescued animals – and I have chosen The Wandering Samaritan – an organization that allows those of us fortunate enough to travel the globe to help the people we encounter along the way. It is just so simple – see a need and fill it.

They don’t look so conflicted anymore!!