Day 15 - Doing Our Duties

Work and Play

On my way to the afternoon prayer, I passed through a group of boys, some of them classmates of Binyamin or Chanania, engaged in a very serious water fight.  Water guns, water balloons, the works.

They made me think about why I'm so preoccupied by what needs to get done, and some folk, like this group of kids, are focused primarily on what the want to do.  Some might say, it's that stage of life, when most of the time you do what you do because you have to.  Others might offer a more psychological analysis - perhaps I'm not ready to face my real wants, so I busy myself with the necessary.  I myself feel like there's some of both going on inside of me.

Hospital Blues

I spoke with Michal today over Skype, and got the lowdown on her mother's situation.  Over the course of last week, Anna's condition after the surgery had fluctuated from day to day as her body got used to the new adjustments in her heart, and as the doctors attending to her constantly readjusted her meds, both in type and dosage, in a desperate attempt to stabilize and soothe her heart.  One day her readings were very good, the next day very worrying, and the day after that it wasn't clear, since she was adjusting to the new prescriptions.  

Her daughters, in the meantime, who had left their homes and families in order to support their mother and keep up her cheer, are facing trials and tribulations of their own.  Over the weekend they had been staying in an apartment maintained by the Jewish community of Philadelphia for the sole purpose of allowing family members to be near their loved ones during their stay in the UPenn hospitals, primarily but not exclusively on Shabbat.  On Sunday they were told that they'd overstayed their welcome, and they needed to find another place to stay.  In the end they found a place in a not-so-far-away neighborhood (30 minute walk), an academic acquaintance of Sonya's who had a spare bedroom.  And so, uncooperative 5-month girl and all, they made their move.  Now, instead of being very near the hospital and being able to switch shifts quickly and easily, it's a small commute every time.  Consider the following: 1.) Elisheva (the baby) isn't allowed into the ward, 2.) Elisheva can't be separated from Michal for more than two hours during the day, and 3.) Either Michal or Sonya need to be with their mother all day long.  It's worse than the fox, the chicken, and the grain riddle!  And exhausting, to boot, since each trip is a minor schlep, multiplied by three or four times a day, it's a big schlep!  I don't envy her.  I'd rather just hang out at home with all the kids...