The weather moved from late summer to fall last week. We had some rain. And rain is something we like here in Israel. The ground is aching for water. And most of the population too. We are paying an extra drought tax this year, because the water level has kept dropping wherever water is found in our fair country. But that is another story. I suspect that the drought tax is just another excuse to gouge us in any case. And what I wonder about, is why I started feeling so sad, for quite a few days.
Tziona blowing across her soup to cool it down a bit, at our soup fest in honor of the first serious rain in Jerusalem.
It got cold too. Usually, I don't mind the heat, no matter how hot it gets. I used to joke about it with my friends, when they asked me if the heat didn't bother me. I'd say I'm practicing up for hell. But the cold… that does get to me. It doesn't have to be very cold, and then no matter how much clothing I put on, it is still there with me. After a couple of days we started lighting the heater.
And in those same days, there were a couple of stories in the news that influenced me too. A story of man who was terribly provoked and lost all judgment and temperance, and did some things that he will be sorry for, no doubt, all his life. And another story, of a man who was fired from his job and killed off the whole family of his employer, including. I suppose that people who follow the news run into such stories all the time. But maybe because I don't watch the news so much in this period of my life… or maybe because these stories were exceptional in our little country, they had a strong effect on me, and added to this general sadness that overcame me.
Now that I'm feeling a little better, I can't help but wonder if I'm not being obsessively rational about this desire to know the reason why. What difference does it make, whether it was the rain and the dark days, or the cold, or the stories I heard at the same time? But there is that feeling too, that if I only knew what it was that was getting to me, I would be able to prevent it or curb its effect on me.
The rain passed, though the radio says it's on it's way back in a couple of days. The sun was out yesterday, and I took a walk in the center of town, with a friend of mine. We went to see an exhibition of some very beautiful paintings in the 'Artists House'. And then had coffee at an outdoor café. I watched a couple of guys working on laptops. It's getting warmer, and I'm feeling better.
blighty
Firstly, I must say it is very nice to see you again friend, and often over these months you have entered my thoughts.
It is funny you should feel this way, because it is very similar to how I am feeling at the moment also. I wrote this lastnight;
http://sakurabreeze.blog.co.uk/2009/11/14/time-travelling-7374967/
Is it the change in seasons that brings about these feelings in us? A change or cessation of routine? Who can say. Here the days are shorter and colder now.
So, it's partially reassuring, like a flame in the dark, to come find you here Shimon. It is a nice tom see you.