Nervous

[mamadeb]

It's still a balmy 97F (with heat index of 107F) and tonight/tomorrow is Tisha B'Av. No food, no water. 25 hours.

Frankly, even though we have air conditioning and I do have medical permission, I'm scared. I'm feeling lousy even sitting in an air-conditioned office and drinking water all day - how will I be without water? Although the feeling lousy could be nerves.

A big rabbi has ruled that fasting is forbidden to any one with any condition who is trapped in the heat wave, but he's not MY rabbi, and it's not up to them - I just emailed my doctor. He's said I could fast, but it wasn't a heat wave then. Also, the city is reducing voltage, so our air conditioning is not working 100%. This is good- far better than a power outage and not having ac at all - but makes things harder.

Edited to add - Jed the doctor emailed me back. Given HCTZ and the heat - no fasting. I can deal with that.

Comments

[devilc.livejournal.com]

You have medical permission.

Use it.

The idea behind various kinds of fasting is, utimately, to make us pause, reflect, and grow -- all of which is undermined if we sick or the fast makes us sick(er).

And, as a desert rat, let me tell you, 107f is HOT.

(And if you can, get one of those battery operated personal fans.)

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

I have medical permission TO fast.

And, um. The idea behind this fast is to mourn and feel miserable. (Not that we need help right now.)

[devilc.livejournal.com]

Now, does fast include food and drink or just food?



And, um. The idea behind this fast is to mourn and feel miserable. (Not that we need help right now.)

LOL.

Requirements about modest dress aside, remember, in humid times, cotton, linen, rayon, and raime are your friends. Polyester and acitate are not.

Silk is, but only if it's very sheer.

And for goodness' sake, wear as little as you possibly can.

And when you get home, if permitted, curl up in a tub full of cool water.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Jewish fast= no food, no water. If one is on daily meds that require water, one takes as little as possible. I can swallow pills without water, so that doesn't apply.

But I just got told not to fast. So. I'm off the hook.

I'm good at the dressing for the heat - frex, today I'm wearing a sleeveless tee under a loose, unbuttoned blouse. Everything is natural fabrics (the blouse is also coolmax) and as loose as possible (easy these days) and I'm not insane enough to wear tights this weather. I expose as much skin as possible (lower arms, lower legs) and I wear very light headscarves.

Baths are completely and utterly NOT permitted. No bathing, no clean clothes, no leather shoes, no annointing and no sex. As I said, we're supposed to be miserable.

[devilc.livejournal.com]

To further clarify -- what I mean is, of course, check with your doctor and Rabbi.

But don't think that because you've got a medical condition that you're somehow being "weak" or taking an easy way out by drinking water and that you should "try" anyway.

You're not being weak.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Here's the thing. I don't want to fast. I HATE fasting and I don't fast well. So I know I'm willing to grasp at anything to not fast. Which makes my feelings suspect. I don't trust them.

[tod-hollykim.livejournal.com]

Hon, trust me, the Big Boss is not upset that you have to drink or even eat in this weather. I think He would not mind water to get through this weater. After all, it's no good if people die from the fast. Negates the reason for it.

But with this weather, one is not usually inclined to eat, but drinking is important. Very important. And don't look at water on your body as a bath. It's for cooling, not bathing.

[tod-hollykim.livejournal.com]

PS In this case, your feelings are probably good to follow. I feel one's feelings can be something that someone else is trying to tell us to do. There has been more than once where I was going to do something/had to do something or go somewhere and wound up doing or going elsewhere. And it was a good thing I had because something bad happened where I was going to go to.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Nah, that's Catholic thinking, not Jewish.

(Have enough Catholics in the family to know... *g*)

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well.

You're probably right.

Except I'm stubborn. :)