So the Passover holiday slouches towards conclusion -- tonight for the reform and conservatives, tomorrow for the orthodox. Alas, but for the first seder, a wonderful time at our consuegros', Wifey and I haven't kept kosher, like we're supposed to.
In the buffet line of modern, non religious Judaism, avoiding leavened foods for the week was never one of my selections. Hopefully the Big Man decides to forgive -- along with the many things I'll need forgiveness for, if that's the way the thing goes.
So Monday the men from Chapman started their job on cleaning out our septic tank, and then stopped -- the truck was full! I'm not sure why they didn't know before hand, but I had nothing planned, and so off they went for the place down near Black Point where they offload the waste -- and returned in a few hours to finish the job. They were so nice I let them sell me $100 worth of bacterial solution -- on their claim that they are enzymes that assist in the breakdown of solids. I have become such a lay expert on septic systems I knew the actual academic research (talk about a shitty field for a scientist) said the stuff is worthless -- but doesn't hurt. Turns out the very first flush into a newly pumped out tank introduces all the bacteria it needs to do its work. Whatever. I paid the nice fellows and off they drove -- hopefully we're smooth sailing for another 2 years.
It also occurred to me that we are now on week 4 with no decision from the judge on our big, fat, attorney's fee case. I learned long ago that trying to read tea leaves based on how long a trier of fact, judge or jury takes to decide, is a fool's errand, so we just sit and wait.
Today I'm heading to the office, and Wifey is heading up to D1's house to watch the little guy, to be joined later by D2, while D2 takes to toddler to his allergist, in Hollywood. The big, charming boy has some food allergies, to tree nuts, and they treat them now by giving the kids micro doses of the allergens, so they build up a tolerance for them. It's a long slog, over several weeks, but D1 is committed to see it through.
She sent us a photo last night of the two brothers in a box, and my reaction was that of a millennial: I couldn't even. They are so adorable together -- the true blessings of our life.
D1 and I were talking about this unconditional love thing a few weeks back. She gets it now -- how I felt and feel about her and her sister. She was empathizing with Moms whose kids end up in awful life situations -- when they started out with all the love the Mom had. Yep -- it's the lesson I have been teaching since they were old enough to understand. Probably even BEFORE they could understand: life is NOT fair -- though it can often be exquisite.
Last night Dr. Barry and I spoke at length during his commute home. What used to be a 30-40 minute ride is now 1.5 hours, but the time flew as we solved all the problems of academic medicine, aging wives, and helicoptered adult kids.
We continued with a FaceTime cocktail -- I really don't like to drink alone -- and it let me polish off the last of the premium Beluga vodka I had been gifted. We recalled our college days, when we would sit around the dining room table in our on campus apartment and talk of our futures -- typically Eric was there, as well as a changing cast of other characters.
We couldn't have conceived some of the things that would come our way in the decades to follow those precious days --- when our only concerns were getting good grades and figuring out who we were as men.
The grades were good -- high enough to get us into med and law schools, anyway. The figuring out who we are as men continues to the present.
So Pesach ends. We told the tale of escape from slavery from Pharoah, wandering around without GPS for 40 years, and then finally getting the Big Man's ownership manual for us -- the Torah. Big book -- takes a full year to read -- and then you start over.
And the search continues -- for answers small and big -- for meaning.
No comments:
Post a Comment