I mean more than the big emotional things, the biggest short term hit will be entirely economic. But that will resolve too. But if you are retired or close to retirement (like this year) you might be truly fucked for a while.

I actually am glad I am sick. I so cannot face work tomorrow. I came home early today and I will be in no shape tomorrow.

I was supposed to go train a doctor in the morning. And I was supposed to go see my family on the other side of the state. I don't see how I can do that. I may have to do the training, but no way I am driving cross state. Barely functional here.

Guys, something poked at the back of my brain from 2004. The day after the election, when we were all sick and in shock that Bush won a second term, our beloved Nilly posted this:

* * * * * * *

I'm not sure I'm going to be able to say this right, but I'm going to try, anyway. I'm definitely not trying to preach or anything, just state my opinion, the way things look through my glasses, which are the only ones I have.

I live in a country in which each local election is considered a matter of life and death. Not any matter of principle, of any sort, no matter how important and crucial. Not a matter of quality of life or following your moral principles. Literally life and death.

The country is pretty much divided in half, and each side thinks the other will bring us to our bloody ruin. There is actual hatred, I can't think of any other word that may describe the situation, between the two sides. The hatred was so vast, so deep and poisonous, that a prime minister was murdered by a political fanatic, with the excuse that he thought that this PM had been, in his actions, an immediate danger to the lives of the citizens.

In the last few years, in this chaotic political situation, we had more elections than we usually do. Governments fell, due to various reasons, and re-elections had to be run in spans shorter than the usual 4 years. The winners are of one side and then of the other (lately, more of one of them, if we count down the numbers, but still).

And despite both sides having their share of victories and losses, we are still here, the country is still here, and we are still alive. There are dark prophecies of bloodshed and war, after each election, from the losing side, each time a different one. And none of them came true. Yes, there are innocent people being killed here in the streets, the last 3 of them only a few days ago. But I don't think the murderers care one bit who is in charge and which party won the largest number of votes. The issues are bigger than the attempts to pocket them in political campaigns.

Here's the thing, though: life is stronger than anything. No matter who sits at some office and passes laws, life is stronger than anything. It takes a really extreme situation for those things to affect the friendships between people, the relationships within families, the little everyday details that combine our routine. I think I may even mean the economical laws, the job market, the prices of needed supplies, the taxes we pay. Sure, it affects our lives, it can make them much harder. But life is stronger than nearly anything.

It's hard for me to realize the way the life of people in Israel may seem to people from the outside. The situation is extreme, both due to the terrorists' attacks, but also in terms of the economy, which is strongly affected by the political situation. In fact, only through seeing things through the eyes of people who don't live here, could I realize how serious the situation is. Because here, in the heart of this, what people do is live their lives. Life is stronger than nearly anything.

People keep being invited for holidays, keep arguing with their parents, making a fabulous new recipe, shed a tear over a good book, get a good word from their boss, enjoy a sunset - whatever. Life goes on. There may be darker shades to some things, more annoyed looks at the news, sharper arguments about the topics there's a disagreement about. There may be harder times, in more than one way. There may be horrible times. None of these things is mutually exclusive.

I'm looking at my mom, with one son in active mandatory military service and the other in reserve duty, and I know that I can't even imagine how hard it may be. But when my baby brother has a weekend home, he learns to play a new song on his guitar (he is very much into "Pink Floyd" right now), he watches the FotR EE, he is still the hardest person in the world to wake up in the morning. Life is stronger than anything.

* * * * * * * * *

That's all I've got, 12 years later.

My son and his girlfriend are texting furiously about what all this means for their futures and I just want to scream.

So glad I telecommute...I can be as out of it as I want, I don't have to avoid potentially awkward or just depressing conversations. I can watch crap tv and avoid the news.

Oh, calling in sick tomorrow. That's a thought.

Kat, thank you. I know you're right.

And Tep, Nilly perspective is always welcome.

Oh God, Buffistas, I'm so sorry. I really don't know what has happened to the world in 2016.

Crap, that 8am meeting I was worried about? Turns out it's at 7. Fuck. That's less than 6 hours.

I'm scared.

And I need to teach tomorrow morning. I don't know if I can do it without breaking down in tears.