Free Association Tuesday Or What I'm Doing For My Summer Vacation

‎"There is a tiredness that sleep can't reach" -from Twice Chai by Marcia Glaubman Hain. What do you think of that? I think it applies to an ill kind of tired, fever, etc. It can also apply to a tiredness of life or aspects of it. I am reminded of a story asking his wife if he can go on a ranching trip with friends and she tells him to go and find his smile.

I think I've started to feel better. Still weak, but the cold symptoms seem to be fading. Are you ever unsure if you're getting better or not? I wonder if the antibiotic is making me weak. Do you ever do something to help you and find that it adds its own hurts?

It's hard not knowing how sick I am; should I be resting and staying home or is it time to be out and around? Better safe than sorry or no risk, no gain? I'm getting itchy, which I hope is a sign of health (it's not the red and blotchy type, but the heart yearning variety itch).

Inventing a plane

is an incomplete attempt

until it can fly

Hopefully we can

come together in this world

just like in the next

Like a haiku

a haiku expert

should not be dark

I know I have a bug in me but I'm in denial about it. I want to be feeling better, and to some extent I am.

Does the end of June exist? For some of us it's kind of Twilight Zone time. If you work in a camp, then a teacher may have no break at all. Been there. Sometimes camp starts before school meetings and grade deadlines are over. But if you take the summer as a time for projects and space then the end of June is a weird time. I'm not fond of that old joke about the two best reasons to be a teacher. It is worthy to note though that June is counted not as part of summer, but after its majority, with the school year. I wonder if my bug is mixed with my coming down and segueing from one realm to another. Rav Kook says that the real reason for Tefilat HaDerech - The Traveler's Prayer - is not related to the dangers on the road. Rather, when you switch from one atmosphere to another it is always a turbulent and vulnerable time. And due to this we pray for protection.

What do you think of this quote? Must it be one extreme or the other? "We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies." ~ Roderick Thorp

What are your thoughts on couples? Is it best to be similar in personality? Are married people meant to be friends? If so - what kind of friends? Best friends? Is romance ever real in life? How important is it to feel love? How do you define love? How important is it to express love? Essay question: How much are the words "I love you" worth? Explain.

Is self deprecation always bad? Is "self deprecating humor" an oxymoron? Is it true that if someone else hits you it's easier to rise up than it is to recover from the hard blow of putting oneself down?

An old friend of mine reminded me of a story I used to tell often. I heard it in the name of Rabbi Moshe Chait: A little boy asks the zookeeper, "What's the strongest animal in the zoo?" The zookeeper tells the boy that the strongest animal in the zoo is the lion. "If he's so strong, why doesn't he break out of his cage? Can't he break out of his cage the boy asks. The zookeeper answers, "He can, but he doesn't know that he can."

Good night and may G-d bless.