Dear Readers,
Greetings from my balcony! I hope you have a space outside even as we are all confined to stay at home. I can't even count how many times I have retreated to my balcony these past few weeks.
When the sun hits at about 3 p.m., I'll be out there. That's one benefit of not being on a work schedule! Even when it's nippy, like today, I'll just put on my winter coat and wrap my feet in a blanket and sit out there for an hour or so, reading and sipping some hot beverage. I am so thankful I insisted on having this balcony
when we built this place. It's just a tiny spot, and, much to my husband's chagrin, it's not roofed, nor is it screened in, but that wouldn't have made it the sunny spot it now is, especially in the off season, when sitting outside is perhaps not everyone's thing. For me, sitting outside it is totally restorative for me. Listening to the breeze rustle the trees, and just plain being out there calms me down, even when it isn't quite yet the
season for that.
Truth be told, I need all the calming effects I can get these days. I have been battling terrible bouts of anxiety. When this anxiety takes hold of me, my chest feels awfully heavy with dread. I really have to pull together all my focus and energy to override that paralyzing feeling to just get every day stuff done like plowing through my emails or shopping for groceries. My husband keeps asking what sets this
off, and I wish I could pinpoint the trigger. The current pandemic and all the upheaval and bad news it continues to bring surely don't help, and I know I am not alone in struggling with anxiety now. I just continue to be surprised as I used to be pretty unflappable! Ever since my surgery, however, I have become vulnerable to being
incapacitated by this dread. If you have any tips on how to deal with anxiety, please let me know!
On a happier note: Funny things do happen in the country! Last weekend we had our lawn rolled! Isn't that tractor ironing the grass the jolliest thing? Not that the moles were terribly impressed. They were back pushing up their mole hills in no time. This rolling is an annual thing, by the way, I simply had never witnessed it before.
I am also happy to report that we had two great Passover Seders out here, where we never expected to ever celebrate Passover! Tradition came alive nonetheless with me making Gefilte Fish the Aunt Rachel way, see my article on Becoming a
Proper Jew in the Kitchen if you don't know that story. It includes the fool-proof recipe! We had good friends join us via Zoom each night and to my husband's surprise, this worked quite well.
It's not the same, however, as having everyone sit around the same table. I am still astounded how social distancing goes against pretty much everything we humans always try to do: Bring people together to celebrate, mourn, work or support each other! I have to say I really missed serving my cooking to my friends. Cooking is a huge part of any holiday for me. Alas, we shall persevere, and I am glad we at least had
all our kids with us!
We're still in holiday mode as Passover's prohibition against eating "leavened bread" (or anything associated with it, such as pasta, crackers, cookies...) doesn't end until Thursday evening. My balcony picture above is from back when I was still snacking on graham crackers... For me Passover always means more cooking, and more minding what food is available for the family to eat, especially the young men! Thankfully,
though, they are perfectly happy to fry their own steaks in the middle of the night.
Real life will return, even if, perhaps, in a different form. I know my next bunch of workshops will be online, which does open them up to many more people. So if you're interested in Shaping Family History into Compelling Stories, see if any of these dates work for you:
Other than that, I shall go mind dinner now! Be well, stay well, and feel free to write back and let me know how you're holding up.
Best wishes,
|
|
|
|
