Word Prompt – NUDNIK – Rachel Wizenfeld

How many times have I felt like a nudnik? Sooooo many times. Too many to count. It’s an uncomfortable feeling. There you are, just asking for help or guidance, and the teacher/parent/rav/boss (depending on stage of life) starts looking exasperated, and you realize you were supposed to figure this out by yourself, or that you’re overstaying your welcome.

Now, as a parent, I’m nudnicking the other way to my kids – did you say a bracha? Did you wash your hands? Did you bring a water bottle? (I realize that I have to contain it or my kids will start tuning me out, just as I’ve tuned out other nudnickim in my life.)

But here’s the positive aspect of a nudnik – he or she cares. They care about figuring out the school or work project and getting all the details exactly right (even if half the questions could have been avoided). They’re the guests who stay at the Shabbos table long after everyone else has left and keep asking questions or sharing details about stories you stopped following. They’re the kids who ask you a million questions on the school trip instead of walking off or tuning you out on their earbuds. They’re a little needy, not super independent, not the sharpest tool in the toolbox. But they keep showing up, long after all the more independent, self-sufficient, glamorous tools have up and gone. They’re always there, always available. So be thankful for nudniks, and for the little bit of nudnik in all of us.