by Leah Hart Tennen, Mikveh Center Director
With apologies for plagiarizing from “Rent”, I ask everyone to think about how one measures a year. “In daylight? In sunsets? In midnights? In cups of coffee?” This particular year feels a bit different, however, as I can measure it in many different ways. As my first 365 days as a staff member at Mayyim Hayyim are almost over (March 13, to be exact), I think about the other ways I measure a year.
The Jewish Year: 5773…I am now incredibly attuned to the Jewish calendar. Part of my job is scheduling immersions and I have to pay attention to holidays, fast days, and times of candle lighting and tzeit (nightfall; when you can count three stars in the night sky) so that people can immerse according to their tradition.
My children’s years: My older son is almost four and my younger son recently turned one (click here to read my post about birthdays). The approaching and passing of their birthdays is both happy and sad for me as I sometimes miss their tiny hands and feet, yet I look forward to the day that both boys can get their own cheerios and let mama sleep until 7.
The school year: Now that my older son is in preschool, I have returned to thinking of the world in terms of semesters and school days.
The fiscal year: Since every company and organization defines this differently, I find this confusing. But, since Mayyim Hayyim’s fiscal year starts on January 1st, it’s easier to think about that kind of year, especially since part of my job is gathering statistics about immersions (number, type, etc) for the fiscal year.
My first year at Mayyim Hayyim by the numbers:
– 11,062—number of immersions to date
– 886—number of people who immersed at Mayyim Hayyim in 2012
– 1,390—number of total immersions at Mayyim Hayyim in 2012
- 78% women
- 20% men
- 2% transgender or unspecified
– 6—the number of blog posts I’ve written
– 5—the number of blog posts I’ve turned in at the last minute (including this one)
– 1—amazing and growing organization that I am lucky to be a part of!
Leah Hart Tennen trained as a mikveh guide and educator in 2010 before joining the Mayyim Hayyim staff in March of 2012. Before coming to Mayyim Hayyim, Leah was a Child Development instructor and Early Parenting Group facilitator at Isis Parenting. Prior to that, she was the manager of the Group Mentoring Department of The Big Sister Association of Greater Boston. Leah earned her Masters in Social Work and Masters in Public Health from Boston University. She is currently a community-based Big Sister, on faculty at the Boston University School of Social Work, as well as a teacher and clinical consultant for Girls’ LEAP Self Defense.