Coasting Along

it is 1:30 p.m. in the holy city of safed.  it is still cold but quite sunny today.  i ventured out of the neighborhood for a short while this morning.  i needed to cash a dollar check at the money changer which is about a 20 minute walk or a 7 minute bus ride from my house.  the money changer was open but they do not cash checks. i was next store to the large supermarket so i ran in briefly.  i bought 2 bags of unshelled walnuts for pesach.  they didn't have almonds yet.  i bought a bottle of wine and a celery root.  they don't have horseradish roots yet.  i stopped in the health food store to see if there was any almond flour or milk for pesach.  there isn't.  i bought another two boxes of chai masala tea and a bag of spelt pitas.

i walked over to the bank and was told that i could not deposit an American check digitally on the outside of the bank.  i need to see a clerk inside.  and today was sunday so i couldn't make such a transaction, anyway.  the bus was coming in another half an hour so i strolled home.  it was a lovely and brisk walk.  the busses are running but they remain virtually empty.  my neighbor had offered to take me on errands but i wanted to navigate by myself this morning.  i need to check out if the private check cashing guys are still doing their trade downtown.

i had a nice Shabbat by myself.  i made pretty tasty and healthy food.  i am thinking about doing my pesach seder alone this year.  i think i want to eat my own food and read the hagadah in English.   i do not want to be at the mercy of my hosts; answering mundane questions and patiently following along with the service.  i can go along at my own pace and eat what i like and then call it a night.  i can be in my jammies, even though we are supposed to get dressed up.  we still have a couple of weeks left to make any decisions.  my neighbor came over yesterday to check up on me.  i spoke with her from my opened dining room window.  after she left, i realized that i should have at least invited her in, or given her a hot drink or offered her some spicy bean stew.  my brain is not fully connecting these days.

my friend is afraid to leave her home.  i was genuinely scared during the last war because missiles were falling all around us.  i used to go once a week by taxi to buy food and then return home.  i always had the driver wait for me.  my mother and myself, at one point; were the only soles left on the block.  that was a bit scary.  this health crisis doesn't scare me as much.  i am not getting too cozy next to people and i am washing my hands with soap a lot.  i went out on Purim and i was amongst many people.  i could have been exposed to the virus then.  i am going outside every day to get fresh air and i am eating well.  i am sleeping a lot and i am remaining relatively, stress free.  hopefully, my immune system is working well.  i am not sleeping with germ carrying children right now so hopefully, i will survive this virus if i get it.

i'm talking the day off from pesach cleaning.  i am a bit tired.  i have been watching all of the you tube home monologues of jimmy kimmel, jimmy falon and david spade. i am not going mad at home.  i am comfortable.  i am not working and i am enjoying myself.  i am also nearly 70 years old and have nothing to prove.  i do what i like and when i want to do it. if it is raining too hard i let the dogs outside by themselves.  i am making the best of a terrible situation.