Improv as life

You didn’t hear the alarm and overslept. You forgot to brush your teeth. You spilled coffee on your new shirt. You accidentally kicked the dog. Some douche cut you off, and you almost ran over the paperboy. You were fifteen minutes late and the boss yelled at you. You wasted four hours online instant messaging your college roommate and playing scrabble with some guy from Norway. After an all too brief lunch, you rushed back to the office and were swamped with work but still managed to read up on some new fangled dog grooming techniques. More traffic greeted you on the way home and some other dude cut you off in traffic. You burnt dinner on the BBQ and the kids fought during the meal. You fell asleep on the couch and the dog peed on the floor. Exhausted but unable to fall back asleep you pondered your wacky day. Yet, another day in paradise.

What stake could G-d have in my life? Where is G-d’s joy and excitement in the hectic work and home life of the average American?

The Alter Rebbe explains in Likkutei Torah that G-d loves improvisation. The classic analogy is of the talking bird. Human beings talk and there isn’t really anything that cool about it. Birds make great pets as long as you don’t mind cleaning the cage once a week. But a talking Bird? That’s just kooky.

Sure, you know what all about parrots, but that is just because you are American. Parrots have already ingratiated themselves into all aspects of our culture. But, we all get excited when we hear rumors of talking fish or watch Youtube clips of dancing dogs and cats that can communicate. Innovation and newness is what really gets us going. The most important news is always the most recent news, or at least that’s what CNN would have us believe. We thrive on the improvised, innovated, and freshness of life. That’s where our excitement lay, and that’s what gets G-d all amped up about your life.

Did you remember this yesterday when you kicked your dog and then felt bad about it? Well, G-d was tearing up. What about when you got cut off in traffic? When you forgave that guy, because you too are an aggressive driver, G-d got all warm and fuzzy.

It’s true, G-d knows the future. However, his knowledge of the future is only because he isn’t limited to the boundaries of time the way we are. So from his perspective, it already happened. But he is still excited about our choice, it just that he knew what you were going to choose. I’m tearing up just thinking about it.