Thankfully, a quiet day. So I'll take this opportunity to talk about some of the psychological issues. First off, I want to make clear that we, thankfully, live in a pretty calm part of the country and we're all, b''H, doing fine overall.
Definitely a "loss of innocence" about life here in our beautiful country. Here are some things that have changed for me/lots of people:
--My phone and I have reached a new level of our relationship and I'm not really loving this 24/6 are-you-within-arm's-reach thing. Need to use the bathroom? Better have your phone in there in case you don't hear the siren (we all have apps to alert us in case we don't hear the siren or are in an area that doesn't have a siren [ie driving on the highway]).
--Going for a shower? Make it QUICK. Have a robe handy in case you need to leap out mid-shampoo. See above for making sure your phone is in the bathroom with you.
--Driving? Think (continuously!!!!) about where you will drive/pull over if a siren sounds
--Driving part 2: Tell your family that, should their Red Alert app go off and they need to pull over while driving and lie on the ground with their arms over their heads, that they should lie on the sun shade that's in the car because, on top of that psychological stress, they really don't need burns from hot asphalt on their faces.
--Shoes: Gotta be able to run into a safe space if outside. Since being caught by the first siren while walking our dog, I've pretty much only worn sneakers when outside. I upped my game a few days ago and now I double-tie them. Even went to the neighbor's bar mitzvah in sneakers. #WhoIsThis
--Safe Rooms: Keep a mental list of where the mamad is in your local supermarket. And the doctor's office. And the other supermarket. And the community center. And in your kid's school and.....and.....and......
--Read on the neighborhood list about all the women who thought they could take their kids briefly to the park the other day. Then a siren sounded. Get stressed just reading about these women lying on top of their kids under the slide, because that's the most shelter they could find in the time they had. Be glad your kids are too old for the park.
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Again, thankful that our stresses are small compared to so many others here.....
In positive news, I've decided to try to popularize the concept of a #ChesedHaul. Click to see the kindness my family shared with others today.
Thank you for sharing this. Thank you for explaining to those outside the war zone what you are experiencing, and for doing so with your characteristic compassion and positivity even in the grimmest of times.
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