Stressy Me
I'm contributing to the delinquency of a diva. The snow is piling up outside. Adam isn't feeling well, so he's napping. We've read books, shoveled in the snow (just for fun and we discovered the greatest snow fun there is--I pull sheets of ice off the picnic bench in the backyard and the kids jump on it to shatter it), had hot chocolate, wrote some thank you notes, kids played with Legos and painted and I cleaned, and we started packing. And it's only 3 p.m. I don't have the energy for an afternoon of Mickey Mouse Playhouse and Imagination Movers, so I've turned on Wedding Central and the kids are riveted. Pie's already chosen her cake: "It's going to be the biggest one in the world. It's going to have chocolate sticks with trees and a piggy. And it's going to be Pie and Jasmine." For what it's worth, I did try to show them both Land Before Time and Charlotte's Web but Pie freaked out at both of them, and Doodles finally said, "Can we just keep watching the wedding channel." Et tu, Doodles?
It's been a languorous weekend. Despite sounding like I got a lot done this morning, I've had this lazy haze about me. I'm feeling unusually stressed these days as there's a lot coming up. Two things are on the forefront of my mind:
The first is the house remodel. We've given our notice on the apartment--we're to be out by February 28--and things are supposedly in the fast-moving stage of the house. I'm not completely sure I believe it. We were stuck at a point where I couldn't see the changes--electrical work, plumbing work, waiting for inspections. But now we're moving. Insulation is in. The walls started going up on Friday. Plastering will be done this week. According to the contractor, we're about two weeks away from the hardwood floors going in (one of the final steps). According to the architect, we're supposed to be picking out paint colors. So we have about six weeks till we're out of here and in the house. Only, we're going to be gone for ten of those days, which means we get back from our trip, and will have just five days to get out of the apartment...
Which brings me to my second stress. Our trip. We're going to Israel. Yes, Israel. And I'm waffling big time on the trip. Everyone I know who's ever been to Israel tells me I'm being silly and it'll be fine. For starters, we're going nowhere near the Gaza. For second, we're going with a tour group (with our synagogue), so we'll be on a tour bus with security on the bus. They'll be constantly checking the security situation and revising our itinerary as needed. We won't be on any public transportation at all. The biggest issue is that we won't be allowed to do many of the things I really have enjoyed doing in the past (like shopping in the shuk. I'd been fantasizing about everything I was going to buy for our new home, but that's totally out at this point). We leave in about four weeks. And four weeks in Middle East terms can really be a lifetime. For the first time ever, we bought travel insurance, which means up to 24 hours in advance of the trip, we can cancel and still get 75% of our money back. But I really don't want to cancel. Adam's never been and I'm anxious for him to see it. Israel is such an amazing country (I've been three times already, including a six-month stay on a kibbutz). But--and this is not an invitation for anyone get to political with me; I don't do politics here--I'm feeling vaguely terrified. How do I decide whether or not to go? (And yes, it's "me." Adam really isn't worried at all, he's said, and he's looking forward to the trip, as is the rest of our group.) I'm literally waking up in the middle of the night worried about taking my kids into a war zone. Yet every time a trip to Israel has been postponed (my sister missed out a trip in the '80s), it's been for naught. I am absolutely certain if I cancel the trip, I'll seriously regret it. I am confident that once we get to Israel, it will all be fine. But I can't stop my stomach from churning now.
So I'm trying to focus on other things. Like the marathon I have coming up in two weeks. And the craft projects I want to do as soon as we get into the house and I have easy access to my sewing machine. I'm officially addicted to craft blogs. And I'm thinking about organizing (starting with photos and ending with the kids' toys in the new house). And packing boxes (I'm storing them in Beetle's basement so there isn't a mad rush when we get back from Israel). And Pie's wedding. And the multitude of other minutiae that crop up.
And come March 1, I'll be a sane person again. Relatively speaking, of course.
It's been a languorous weekend. Despite sounding like I got a lot done this morning, I've had this lazy haze about me. I'm feeling unusually stressed these days as there's a lot coming up. Two things are on the forefront of my mind:
The first is the house remodel. We've given our notice on the apartment--we're to be out by February 28--and things are supposedly in the fast-moving stage of the house. I'm not completely sure I believe it. We were stuck at a point where I couldn't see the changes--electrical work, plumbing work, waiting for inspections. But now we're moving. Insulation is in. The walls started going up on Friday. Plastering will be done this week. According to the contractor, we're about two weeks away from the hardwood floors going in (one of the final steps). According to the architect, we're supposed to be picking out paint colors. So we have about six weeks till we're out of here and in the house. Only, we're going to be gone for ten of those days, which means we get back from our trip, and will have just five days to get out of the apartment...
Which brings me to my second stress. Our trip. We're going to Israel. Yes, Israel. And I'm waffling big time on the trip. Everyone I know who's ever been to Israel tells me I'm being silly and it'll be fine. For starters, we're going nowhere near the Gaza. For second, we're going with a tour group (with our synagogue), so we'll be on a tour bus with security on the bus. They'll be constantly checking the security situation and revising our itinerary as needed. We won't be on any public transportation at all. The biggest issue is that we won't be allowed to do many of the things I really have enjoyed doing in the past (like shopping in the shuk. I'd been fantasizing about everything I was going to buy for our new home, but that's totally out at this point). We leave in about four weeks. And four weeks in Middle East terms can really be a lifetime. For the first time ever, we bought travel insurance, which means up to 24 hours in advance of the trip, we can cancel and still get 75% of our money back. But I really don't want to cancel. Adam's never been and I'm anxious for him to see it. Israel is such an amazing country (I've been three times already, including a six-month stay on a kibbutz). But--and this is not an invitation for anyone get to political with me; I don't do politics here--I'm feeling vaguely terrified. How do I decide whether or not to go? (And yes, it's "me." Adam really isn't worried at all, he's said, and he's looking forward to the trip, as is the rest of our group.) I'm literally waking up in the middle of the night worried about taking my kids into a war zone. Yet every time a trip to Israel has been postponed (my sister missed out a trip in the '80s), it's been for naught. I am absolutely certain if I cancel the trip, I'll seriously regret it. I am confident that once we get to Israel, it will all be fine. But I can't stop my stomach from churning now.
So I'm trying to focus on other things. Like the marathon I have coming up in two weeks. And the craft projects I want to do as soon as we get into the house and I have easy access to my sewing machine. I'm officially addicted to craft blogs. And I'm thinking about organizing (starting with photos and ending with the kids' toys in the new house). And packing boxes (I'm storing them in Beetle's basement so there isn't a mad rush when we get back from Israel). And Pie's wedding. And the multitude of other minutiae that crop up.
And come March 1, I'll be a sane person again. Relatively speaking, of course.
1 Comments:
I don't think you are being silly worrying about the trip, but I do think you'll be fine and safe there. You are also right that 4 weeks is a lot of time -- you can alway re-evaluate when it gets closer to the departure date, although I doubt the situation would become worse than it is now. Buying travel insuarance was a smart thing to do!
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