Snapshots:September, 2014

With so many horrible things in the news, I say we take a vacation from it all.

(1)  With Feeling

Dunkin Donuts, Kosher in Chicago on Devon

A grandson has a 10:30 orthodontist appointment on a school day, and I have the honors. The rain is coming down hard and he holds the umbrella over me while I unlock the car. Once inside, the fellow shoots me a sideways glance. I turn my head, raise an eyebrow, speak our first words since leaving school.  

“I’m starving.”

“Me, too!” he exclaims.

We work out the details of taking out from Dunkin Donuts. He will sit and get his braces tightened, change hues, and I'll run in. There isn’t a minute to lose because office hours begin in the early afternoon and I can’t be late. 

Our timing executed perfectly, he is at the curb, ready for me after the procedure. Overjoyed with the egg-and-cheese croissant (with fake bacon bits), hash browns, and a blue berry muffin, he eats faster than my Airedale. He can’t thank me enough.

Three years ago, at 9 years old, a Thanks! might have stuck in his throat. But he has it down now, smiles with gratitude and the words gush out uncontrollably. Thanks SO much!!!

For this reason alone, and there are many others, parents have to think: There's no hurrying psychological development.

The tests of our children are really our own.

(2) Our Unfamiliarity with War (Details about patients in this story, and all of them on this blog, are pure fiction.)

Montfort Castle in Israel

This profession can be quite intimate, and although most therapists share about themselves, we don’t share all that much. We may share more, even share less if we have been seeing the patient for several years. I know I do.

It all depends upon the person getting the therapy. But over the years there is more depth to a relationship, and confidence that what we do share will be absorbed for the good. Otherwise why say anything at all? It is not a friendship, not by any stretch of the imagination, but both the therapeutic relationship and friendship are defined by mutual trust emotional safety.

Still, whereas the patient can never say too much, for what he says is all relevant and diagnostic data, we can.

   

Just prior to leaving for this vacation, the first real time away from work for longer than a few days-- in years, I let the destination slip a few times. It happened when rescheduling proved challenging. Frustrated with the perceived long wait, the patient would ask:

 “Going on vacation, are you?” 

”Well, yes, actually. Kind of far away, too. A small middle-eastern country.”

Subtext:

Don't call me. I expect we worked hard enough on your independence in the past few weeks. You can do this.

Text: 

Let's talk about this, how you really feel, and how it will go in my absence.

The Western Wall, or "kotel"

The last time I left for that small middle-eastern country, a patient knew about it and attempted suicide in my absence. He showed me. But we had expected it and the family and covering psychiatrist knew what to do. We could say, even, that the patient ended up better for it, that extra special treatment a person merits in the hospital if the presentation is that severe.

People are okay, at least it seems within my practice, if a therapist is off to a conference or a presentation. But no such thing now, and a fib felt bad. I liked the idea of promoting tourism, maybe. “Everyone should visit Israel at least once in a lifetime. It is an amazing country, nowhere in the world quite like it.”

Blank stares.

Immediate regrets for the blurt. And worse, once I let down my usual guard and added,

 "And for the first time I'm a little scared."

Israel felt scary to me, from Chicago. Despite the peace treaty, the country is always at war, and although the war is now more about rocks and fears of suicide bombers in pizza shops, the missiles were glaring. In fact, those launches Hamas supposedly had stopped did start up, if only once, during my tour, although Hamas apologized. A mistake.

Shraga's. The gourmet food is on every corner.

Was my fear rational? Not really. Nevertheless, you don't lay that trip on a patient.

He didn't bat an eye, is the truth. Maybe didn't hear, worried mostly about his own troubles. More likely, too surprised to respond.

Predictably, when I got back, there was rarely even a reference to my glorious vacation. Maybe a single question, "How was your trip?" to be polite.

The redirect, when that happens, takes seconds.

(3). Flying 

Austrian Airlines, not cheap on beverages.

So here, 34,700 feet above sea level on Austria Airlines, a flight attendant pours FD a half glass of Chivas. He had asked for a thimble-full. But they probably speak German, and perhaps a thimble is a glass in Austria.  Whatever the case, FD wants to sleep so he drinks half of it, asks me to hold the rest, return it to the attendant or drink it myself.

(Just flying European felt strange, but the new experience, like most new things, awesome, highly recommended. Plus it is really cheap). 

Knowing sleep rules jet lag, I sip at the Chivas, hope it will shut me down. But it doesn't.  Even in a dark cabin wearing eye-shades, and a decent yogi posture going, my head is stuck on the fact that this is what they call a vacation. That and it is only 8 PM, Chicago time. And I’m a little high, the scotch has nothing to do with it. I’m on vacation.

Mind you, this feeling is not only weird, but it is incongruous. Today is my mother’s first yahrtzeit, (a Yiddish or Hebrew word, rhymes with door-site), the first anniversary of her death, and rather than see that candle burn out (we light a 24-hour candle, give to charity), FD and I are on a plane, a little closer to heaven. Up in the air, at 37,700 feet, we assume we’re a little closer, that prayers are local calls. We have no evidence to the contrary.

At the terminal in Vienna we expect to have to run like hell (as is always the case) to make the connecting flight to Tel Aviv.  Our flight from Chicago had left two hours late. But the good people of Austrian Airlines have hustled. We made up the time.

Still I wonder if discussing the problem with my mother, asking for a little help to move us along, make time, helped. Do they have clout up there? No evidence to the contrary.

(4) The King of Morocco

It is the Jewish New Year season, and we think the whole world is judged this month. So it is kind of scary and people who aren't remotely religious come out of the closet and go to the synagogue, or merely hope their thoughts and prayer will be heard wherever they might be.

Anyway, my rabbi told over this story the week before to get us in the mood. He thinks it is true but isn't sure if the king is really the king of Morocco. 

The king of Morocco is visiting London to meet with a particular businessman, who happens to be Jewish. The man is expected to attend the Bar Mitzvah of the son of a close friend on Saturday. He asks the father of the boy if he can bring a guest, an important person. Of course, why not? The king is delighted.

At the party the king is introduced to the father of the boy. He takes out his checkbook and writes a check for $250,000. The boy’s father is shocked and upset. He tells the king that the gift is over the top, he need not do this. Most people give much, much less, he says, they knock off three or four zeroes. The man is honored by the royal's presence alone.

The king replies that it is not fitting for a king to bother with an insignificant amount. He doesn't write small checks. And there's no way he won't give a gift.

So it is with our King, concludes the rabbi.  He doesn't write small checks. We should think big when we are asking for things.Money, health, go for it.

Not hard, right?

May there be no more hate, selfishness, or illness in our world (and we in the northern climes could use better weather this winter). May we include one another, when we obsess about what we should have said, should have done, should do, for happiness and health, success, and good will, and work towards that.

A happy new year to all of you, friends.

therapydoc

This is a lichi. I had never seen one before visiting Israel. We eat new fruits on this holiday. My Israeli brother-in-law is always eating new fruits.

I liked Brussels airport. Also, they have cots for napping, enough said.

Brussels airport synogogue

Brussels airport mosque

Brussels airport humanist consultant

Brussels airport chapel

A beach in Natanya.

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