Jewish Musings, Fri/Sat, Shabbat, 9/9-10

[gazelle18]

What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? this week’s Torah reading? life goals? prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.

Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:
Angelika
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

[gazelle18]

Hi everyone,

First off, I cannot tell you how deeply I appreciate the words of wisdom you imparted to me yesterday. I feel so much better, and stronger, having read your good counsel! it is heartening to know that my struggles are not unique.

In answer to someone's suggestion, I will share that my mother had lung cancer last year, and had part of a lung removed. She has a recurrence in the other lung, and we are awaiting biopsies to determine what can be done.

Since you guys are so good at soothing my anxieties, how about this one? I am quite anxious about the presidential election. This is no longer a WW forum so I feel that I can freely state that I am deeply dismayed by the republican candidate. I actually had a nightmare about this the other night?

How do you deal with anxieties about national and international events?


One thing I can try to do is put it all aside, and out of my mind, for Shabbat. I hope everyone has a restful and peaceful Shabbos.


thanks again for the wonderful support!!!

[hollygail]

Once upon a time, I gave really, really, REALLY serious consideration to moving to Canada.At this point in my life, that really isn't going to happen. However, I can't believe how gullible so many Americans can be! If you list the apcray Trump has been guilty of in his life against the list of apcray Clinton has been guilty of, HOW THE AITCH EE DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS CAN THE MEDIA insist on focusing on emails? to the complete exclusion of ANY of the sh*t he's perpetrated? [as I shake my head...]

[lee058]

Good morning everybody. Hope you are all well today. Re dealing with political anxiety: I talk with people, mostly those who agree with me, about politics and that helps me a lot. On the other hand, I also talk with a couple of people who have totally different views than I do. This helps me sharpen up my own views even though it may be disturbing at times.

Re the presidential campaign: I totally loathe Trump and I seriously hope that Hillary wins the election. I feel very strongly about this.

I'll write more later. I'm trying to write and also watch the Star Trek marathon on BBC America (!). Also, later I have a pest control person coming over to do the annual termite inspection on the house.

Have a peaceful day, Lee

[momof2]

Boker Tov!
In general I don't handle anxiety well. I haven't been tracking or worried about what I am eating. I eat when I am worried and it should stop, or at least make healthier choices.
Worry #1, today is my first day of work, since DS arrived. At least it is a half day. I will nurse him at 11, then work, be home around 3:30. Two weeks ago he REFUSED the bottle, so yeah I am worried. But I know he won't starve to death.
Worry #2, My primary doctor is concerned about my liver levels. I had an ultrasound done. Well, there is something there. They don't know if it is an artifact or a mass, only a MRI can tell. Waiting for the insurance to approve the MRI. My goal was to have it done before Rosh Hashanah. Hopefully that can happen.
Changing DS schedule tomorrow, no more 5 am feedings. Most of the time I wake him and he eats for 5-7 minutes. Eventually, he will be on the same schedule as DD. There have already been times when I am nursing him at the dinner table.
My mind isn't around politics. All I have to say, it is scary.
Ready for Shabbat
Shabbat Shalom,
Tamara

[savtele]

Boker Tov All! On FB I posted that I woke John the other morning - he was moaning in his sleep. He thanked me - he had been having a nightmare about being in the car with DT & Mike Pence (he calls them the "scary white guys!")

I'm over the e-mails. Come on already - there is some substance to the woman. We KNOW she deleted the e-mails, & we KNOW the FBI investigated & chose not to prosecute. Let it rest already. Meanwhile, any and every time DT talks about anything, I have no clue what the man is talking about. When he answers questions with "people are saying" - we know he's talking about the twits retweeting whatever he's chirping about. And they don't know what he's talking about either, they just like how he says it.

I fear for our country. If he wins, I fear we will fade to 2nd world obscurity. It is sad that so much of our country seems to be quite proud of being politically ignorant!

So - I am hoping/working toward changing the landscape in the legislatures, country-wide. Because if we get HIM, the Senate/House should be at least as obstructionist to him as they were to Obama (I'm sorry, this sounds like a Jr. HS feud between the jocks & the nerds, for the past 8 years now!) & if we get her, she's going to need all the support she can get after what they all did to Obama. That's all I've got!

I've enjoyed all our discussions this week.

Shabbat Shalom!

[peachymom1]

How do I deal with anxieties about national and international events?

Well, for one thing, I try to stay as informed as I can. Donald Trump has proven over and over that he is not well educated about world affairs, government, history, political science, psychology, law, ethnology, or even proper decorum or professionalism. Ignorance in public figures scares me more than anything else. Lack of sufficient knowledge for the job would never fly at the company I work for, and unprofessional speech and behavior would get you fired. So in my book, Mr. Trump is the worst candidate for president I've seen in my lifetime. Even if Hillary Clinton were not intelligent, well-versed in all the things Trump isn't, highly experienced and knowledgeable, I would still have to vote for her by default. People do things for all kinds of reasons, and I can't control that. So I deal with the anxiety by reminding myself that all I can do is vote, and everything else is out of my hands.

I am also reminding myself that the election is less than two months away now. Whatever happens, we'll move on to the next phase.

This has been a great week, thank you Lynne! If I don't get back here, everyone have a wonderful weekend, and I'll be posting tomorrow night for Sunday.

Shabbat shalom!

[hollygail]

Yes, Lynne, very interesting topics this week; thank you. Tomorrow morning is the first Saturday morning bnei mitzvah class I co-teach with the rabbi at a Conservative synagogue. He is wearing several hats; the senior rabbi resigned (to work for the Hartmann Institute; very prestigious!), so the Associate Rabbi is covering both the Senior Rabbi's responsibilities as well as his own (he's the head of the religious school, and I've known him since before he applied to rabbinic school; he's the son of a former rabbi of mine). As a result, I prepared an outline suggesting what we cover in the Ethics portion of the class (which is 30 to 45 minutes; the remainder of the three hours is mine without him), including sending him some background I've used in teaching ethics at other synagogues. He wants to run with my suggestions; he made zero changes. I'm so very much looking forward to working with him again! (I haven't worked this closely with him since he covered for his father about 15 years ago when I was gabbai for him and he was the baal kriah, Torah reader).

Gut shabbes / Shabbat shalom, everyone.[/font]

[louise]

I can't picture what would happen if Trump were to win. I would be as embarrassed/shocked/appalled as I was proud when Obama won.

Getting myself into high gear for HHD preparation. Sunday is Mitzvah Day in my synagogue. I'm leading 2 (self-serving) activities: one is to repair chumashim and the other is polishing all the torah related silver. I enjoy polishing the silver but after about 30 years I'm ready to pass the baton - at least for this year (I only do it once a year).

Thank you for a heartfelt week, Lynne.

[hollygail]

I just sent an email to you all. Lee, I don't have your email address, so I couldn't send it to you too.