People abroad keep asking me how we cope here in Israel with the Iranians shooting missiles at us. By people I mean just a few family members. Most people I know abroad haven’t reached out.
So, it’s been more than three weeks of war with Iran now and we’re still here. Its annoying, its scary, its boring considering so much is closed right now and so on and so on.
Interestingly, it is also bothersome that the airport was closed for a while and that right now there are so few flights abroad. It’s not that I was planning on taking a trip anywhere, it’s just that having the option to just hop on a plane and go anywhere abroad anytime is always at the back of one’s mind.
So, how do I personally deal with all the air raid sirens going off and the missiles falling everywhere and all that noise from the mid-air explosions from all the missiles that got shot down?
I don’t!
Seriously, I don’t. There is just too much personal stuff to worry about. John Lennon put it best when he wrote, “Life is what happens when you’re busy worrying about missiles falling on your head.” Or something like that.
So, what have I been doing differently, if anything, you might ask.
Oh, I’m so glad that you asked.
For one, I’ve been sending my friends texts asking “Are you alive? If yes press 1, if not press 2.”
Also, I like to say to people “If a missile falls on your head don’t forget to call me and let me know.”
And, “If you get yourself killed, I’ll never talk to you again!”
I also tell people to be sure to carry plenty of Tylenol around with them. When they ask me why, I say, “Because it really hurts when a missile lands on your head.”
One guy actually said to me – believe it or not – “But doesn’t Tylenol cause autism?”
First guess which of the following three responses is the one I actually said. Then pick the one that is the best possible response to such stupidity. (Hint: It’s the same answer for both.)
1 – Yah, but the missile landing on your head will cause so much brain damage it won’t matter.
2 – Yah, well, it would be worth the risk.
3 – Did you already get hit on the head by a missile?
Some people might say that this is just a coping mechanism, and maybe it is.
Nah!
That’s what the beer/wine/whiskey/chocolate/cookies are for.
