By Justine Friedman (nee Aginsky)
One week ago, if anyone had told me that I would be sitting at home and writing this I would have thought how crazy! Surely in a weeks’ time my life will be pretty much the same. I would have done a few loads of washing, been for a walk or run, fetched my kids from school and got ready for an afternoon of studying and then extra murals.
I now sit with more time on my hands than I ever dreamed possible and I feel like I am on some strange holiday.
The exam I was meant to write on the 2nd April has been cancelled by the Ministry of Health and I have no idea when in the future a date will be set for it. I am both relieved and frustrated. Relieved as I this was really the crunch time to get through all the big sections of nutrition work and also frustrated as I was relying on writing and passing the exam so that I could receive a licence to practise the profession I am so passionate about in Israel.
One thing I certainly can see from all of this is how little control we have over most of what we are living through now. It is a reminder that the illusion of control we all felt we had was exactly that – an illusion!
As I sit in my apartment in Israel so grateful that I have Wi-Fi and access to live talks and programs, I feel stifled that I am unable to just hop on a plane and go anywhere. Just a trip to the shops involves wearing latex gloves and a bottle of sanitiser. So, I fill my days with trying to establish a new routine for my family so that we all have some kind of a structure. I still have my kids up by a certain time. We all still pray in the morning and then they do some schoolwork. We are luckily not in a state of quarantine, so we are still able to leave our apartment and go for walks. I am now so mindful of just how close I am to the strangers and friends on the street and even though a distance of two meters sounds like a lot, it also feels rather close!
I strongly believe that each of us now have a big role to play in how we conduct ourselves. We can easily get swept up in the fear and panic of stock piling food, masks and toilet paper. Or we can choose to focus on the gift that this invisible virus has given us, and that is time. Time to be with our families, time to discuss what is truly important in life and most of all time to reflect on how we can live our best lives and be the best human beings we can be.
An attitude of positivity and gratitude has never been more important. Instead of focusing on what we don’t have or the fear of not having, we need to enter into a mindset of the abundance of what we do have. We live in a plentiful world. We live in a world that has become so used to instant gratification. At this time the biggest gift of all is to know just how blessed we all are.
For those people who are truly suffering, who are unable to be with family members, who can’t hug and kiss a child, who are truly ill with this virus these musings may seem nonchalant and without empathy. I pray that all of those who are affected will be out of suffering soon. I pray for healing for all. But for those of us who are being responsible and reducing exposure and living in as much of a lockdown as we can, I pray that we all have the tranquillity of mind to know that positivity and prayer is the best remedy and is a far more powerful tool for surviving this pandemic than panic and fear.
At this time of greatest uncertainty for every human being the world over, we are united in one thing. No matter our colour, creed or religion we are all affected in one way or another. Let us choose to be united in the ability we all have, to share kindness, words of care and encouragement and support, for no virus can control our behaviour. That my fellow human beings, is entirely up to us.
About the Author:
Justine Friedman (nee Aginsky) made aliyah from Johannesburg, South Africa in November 2019 with her husband and their two children. In Johannesburg she was a successful clinical dietician, coach and speaker who ran her own private practice for 17 years. Justine is passionate about helping people, and women in particular, achieve greater degrees of health in their mind, body and soul. She is based in Modi’in and loves the challenges and successes that living in Israel has to offer.
