High Anxiety

 This morning, as is my wont - I turned on my radio - NPR.  Then I wonder why I turn it on - the ongoing horrors.  The ever worsening situation in Ukraine - China, Nato, Then I looked up covid requirements for my upcoming trip to Israel, and I remembered a film by Mel Brooks, High Anxiety, with an accompanying song.  Anyone else remember this?Please let me know, so that I can be assured that such a film was really made and viewed.

The travel requirements for Israel were a PCR test within 48 hours of departure.  Today it is 72 hours!!!!! Which is of course much better - but I do know I saw 48 hours a couple of days ago.

And my niece in Israel is not well - out of hospital today.  

Was it just 3 weeks ago that I was on a yoga retreat in Rancho La Puerta?  And did I blog about that retreat?  In my last entry I mentioned that I was going there.

I went and while there I realised that 4 nights and three days are certainly not enough time to decompress from these past couple of years - and it was in that time that the spectre of Putin's invasion of Ukraine loomed ahead. No one was quite sure it would happen, or rather, one hoped it would not happen, although it was quite obvious it would happen.

And I also discovered that I don't feel quite at ease with being around lots of people - certainly not at the airports, and not even around a horde of vaccinated, boosted people in a spa!!!!! At San Diego Airport I waited for the bus to Rancho La Puerta.  Because it was President's Day weekend there were throngs of people. Just a few steps ahead of me I saw a little girl of about 4, with a big backpack. Just behind was her mother, holding bags and parcels. I saw that a strap from one of the bags had wound itself around the little girl's neck, and it was tightening around her neck as she walked ahead of her mother. I told the mother what was happening and she immediately put out a hand to stop her daughter and remove the strap. The daughter began crying and the mother glared at me as if I had tried to strangle her daughter.  I am not sure whether she was exhausted, overwhelmed, scared of covid, or just a not nice person, but a smile or a 'thank you' would have been appreciated.

Not to say my time was not enjoyable - great yoga classes, in 3-D!!!! Good food, nice company.  Another reminder that life is to be spent in the moment.