Back to Normal (Whatever That Is)

Last night, for the first time since the week before Pesach, I came home to a normal dinner. Very refreshing (even if it was fish).

Much has happened in between.

1. We had Pesach with all our children for the first time in some time. Very nice, OOS delighted in "giving us the business" during the second seder as we struggled with the shmurah matzah.

2. Fifteen different ba'alei tefilah davened for the amud over Pesach (excluding mincha and chol hamoed). No more than ten of them had any business being there. (Equivalent, as I told my Rav, to entry level little league where everyone has to get a chance to bat even though half the kids don't know which end of the bat to hold). But that's a post for another time.

3. Spent a weekend in Teaneck, Ir Hakodesh. Missed a lot of crying back home.

4. Together with MHW, was zoche to walk OOD to the chupah. Very special. Besides everything else, it was a big kiddush Hashem vis a vis my co-workers and colleagues. Another post for another time.

5. Rode about 100 yards of a scheduled 50 miler. Got caught in a crevice in the road, crashed, and had OOS fall over me. I got badly scraped up all up and down my right side; OOS broke his elbow. Could have ben worse. (I told MHW we would be back my noon; we were. But instead of riding we spent the morning in the ER).

6. Attended what felt like 15 sheva brachos. Also very special. I barely made it to the last one despite the best efforts of American Airlines and air traffic control at La Guardia on my way back from a command performance in Cleveland. (Mesiras nefesh alert: The alternative to flying home for sheva brachos was attending the Indians/Red Sox game in the dugout suite which is literally next to the Red Sox dugout).

7. Went to my regular minyan this morning where there was the biggest crowd I'd ever seen. Must be a lot of religious Zionists out there who never otherwise come to shul.

8. I'm scheduled to run a half-Marathon on Sunday but I don't know how I'm going to do it. My knee is very sore from the crash and I haven't run more than 7 miles at a time. This brings home how stupid it was of me to agree to run the Nw York Marathon in November. What was I thinking?