I have no idea of what it is that seems to have affected everyone. Of course it could be related to March madness, 520 Days of War, 59 hostages still in Gaza, 35 of them declared dead, the changes in the weather, the Trumpian Muskan era - yes, any number of things, but all is so very odd.
A young student comes to me on Sundays at 2.15 for an english conversation lesson. She is always punctual, but last Sunday she did not arrive. This was not normal - I hadn't heard from her or her mother. I called reception to ask for her mother who works here. The receptionist told me she is ill and hadn't been to work. Later that evening her mother sent me a whats app apologising profusely - the whole family was sick, and she had forgotten to let me know' She feels terrible because she is not usually like that.
Last Monday I took the shuttle to the Kupat Holim in Netanya on Monday, as I had an appointment at 10.30 a.m. When I got there the machine in the lobby that gives numbers was broken - or at least, it consistently spat out numbers for an ultrasound - I was not going for an ultrasound, nor were the men and women before and after me in line. I went to the receptionist who wore a mask over her mouth, but not her nose. She took my card and said, your appointment is on Wednesday, not today. It then dawned upon me that I had mixed up the dates in my head and written them down in the american fashion of month first. She said she would check whether the doctor could see me anyway, so I stood to the side. The woman after me in line handed in her card and the receptionist told her that her appt. is in April, not March. Indignantly the woman shouted, "Nu, and what month are we in?" "March" replied the receptionist in a remarkably patient manner . The doctor couldn't see me so I returned Wednesday.
I am in a knitting group and when I was there a woman sitting near to me told me she bakes bread and delivers it on Thursday evenings. I ordered a loaf of sourdough bread - really looking forward to it. She delivered the bread Thursday as promised. I put it on my counter and continued with the spelling bee. After half an hour she called me to say she is very sorry, but for the first time ever she had not put salt in my bread - she was going to come to change it. She drove over and handed me another packet. After she left I saw the paper packet had a man's name on it. I looked at the bread and it was totally different from the previous loaf - I didn't think salt would make such a difference, but shrugged and put it on the counter. I had to make genius at least, so I continued with the spelling bee. About an hour later there was a knock on my door. The same woman, saying she gave me the wrong bread - it was gluten free - not sourdough and was for someone else!
It feels like everyone is acting just a little crazy.
Missed appointments, small errors - not really terrible - just signs of a nation, I think, that is traumatized and stressed. Ministers are fired - army chiefs changed. The judicial coup goes on. In the macro - this IS terrible - a world out of balance, one day a law is made, half an hour later it is broken, changed Decisions to have a ceasefire made, broken, violated - no way ahead of us, broken promises and ruins behind and around us.
Well, the bread when I finally ate it was delicious. It is the small things that count.
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