On the Fourth Day of Hanukkah

December 10, 2015 – On the Fourth Day of Hanukkah

Hanukkah caught me by surprise this year.  I hadn’t quite recovered from Thanksgiving when the holiday started this past Sunday night.  I finally got around to making latkes on the fourth night:  crispy corn pancakes, enlivened with the flavors of ginger, garlic and cilantro.  My Old World bubbie (that’s Yiddish for grandma) would have eyed them suspiciously.  The only latkes she knew were the potato variety, the type traditionally made by Eastern European Jews.  

Sizzling corn pancakes - yum!

The holiday doesn’t have the same feel of excitement as it did when the children were young.  We never made a big deal about Hanukkah presents, but for the first time in many years, I decided to give myself a gift:  a guilt-free day off!  After a busy few days, including subbing yesterday, I’m going to forego today’s scheduled activities (Pilates and jazz class) so I can simply take it easy. 

Actually, I have a valid medical excuse, i.e. the pain in my right foot, which has been troubling me since last Saturday.  The pain came on quite suddenly, about four miles into my five-mile trek around Washington, DC in the company of my step-grandson, Darren.  I didn’t let it interfere with our day, which included a visit to the Botanical Gardens, lunch at the American Indian Museum’s Mitsitam Café (I tried a delicious new dish from the Eastern Woodlands, Suppawn, boiled stone ground maize with roasted garlic), a quick tour of the Hirschhorn’s sculpture garden, a walk along the National Mall, a detour up Seventh Street, coffee in the courtyard of the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum, and finally a long schlep back to Union Station.  

Orchids in the Botanical Gardens

At first I ignored the pain.  I went about all of my regular activities and assumed it would heal on its own in a couple of days.  Unfortunately, my foot didn’t get any better and the constant limping was taking its toll on my energy level.  On Wednesday, before I went into AHS to sub, I decided to swallow a couple of ibuprofen.  Even that didn’t bring any relief.  I’m discouraged and baffled by this mystery pain that won’t go away, so I figure giving my foot a rest is worth a try.

When I got up this morning, I was very excited about my gift to myself.  I plan to spend the day staying hydrated, catching up on my writing (hence, this post), reflecting on my role as caregiver (an assignment from my therapist), organizing my notes from my two George Mason classes, sketching out my next fused glass project, reading The Secret Chord (the latest book I checked out of the library), and practicing the Torah and Haftarah portions I’ll be chanting on Saturday.  If my foot permits, I’ll go for a very short walk in the sunshine this afternoon.  And lastly, early to bed, because I’m subbing again tomorrow.