I live in a big city. So big that when I leave work, there is no place on the sidewalks for us, pedestrians, running to the subway, bus, or train out of this mayhem. We walk and run on the road risking to end up under a car.

It is so big that when I come home in the evening longing for peace and quiet, all I hear through the evening is the sound of honking cars rushing to their destinations.

I completely understand my daughter who left this hectic place for Cambridge, where she still thinks there are too many people, hence sounds.

Too Many Sounds! They are everywhere – people yelling, cars honking, alarms going off at random, and, of course the scary sounds of ambulances, reminding you of the fragility of life.

Now if you take all this and post it atop of almost 30 years of migraines, you will get the picture.

What? Why? Where are these sounds coming from?

Drilling into my ears, piercing through my brain.

Fires start in my head lighting my hair, penetrating my darkness

Make it stop!  !מספיק

Living on the verge of a constant headache makes you not only sensitive to your feelings, but project your sensitivity on others. So, I never honk, unless there is a dire emergency situation and never slam doors. I am constantly thinking – what if someone has a headache? Obsessive? Maybe.

One of my wishes for this year is for all of us to understand that there is a whole living breathing world around us – let’s not upset it more than it already is.

Shabbat Shalom!