tamarjacobson

Danny Miller tagged me for this meme (haven’t I already done this some time ago?)! And I feel that I must reply. Although I must admit I am having such a difficult time coming up with 7 weird or random things about me. I guess that lately I feel that I am quite the ordinary and boring person. Mostly I go to and from work, do the shopping and laundry, cook occasionally, adore my cat and feed the birds out by the huge oak tree. There simply does not seem to be anything weird about me. Or random, for that matter! So, here goes, and I hope I do not put you to sleep with boredom …

1. I tend to love people even more when they are being nasty to me. It is a sickness, I know. And after years of therapy I am, at least, able to identify that they are not treating me well. It took an enormous amount of mind exploration to understand: a) that a person is treating me badly, b) I do not deserve that kind of treatment, and then (and this still is the hardest part), c) to walk away from it – give it up – refuse to take it any more. But, I’ve got to admit it’s getting better, it’s getting better all the time!
2. When I am feeling happy I tend to sing out loud operatic style, interspersed with duck quacking sounds, while I am doing regular, daily chores. This has earned me the name of "Berk" by my life partner and oldest sister, around whom I tend to feel safe enough to do that.
3. I prefer the movie to the book. I just really love movies. Indeed, I watch those that I love over and over again, always finding and seeing different and new scenes, actions, behaviors, ideas, acting, sights, sounds …
4. I adore therapy. Therapy of myself, therapy of others. It is intriguing to me – the different layers of the human mind, the way people think, feel and behave. It is better than any thriller or adventure story for me.
5. I have lived 19 years in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), 19 years in Israel, and this year it will be 20 years in the United States. But then don’t you all know that by now? Wherever I live I become politically involved. I feel like a citizen of the world but believe that all politics start with the communities closest to us. I have discovered that, as Barack Obama says, with all our differences, we are also alike, with similar dreams and aspirations. Of course, I have been saying that, too, for the longest time. And so, that’s why recently I sent him a copy of my book: Confronting Our Discomfort.
6. I am an atheist. But I enjoy many rituals of different religious celebrations. Mostly I am extremely interested – nay, intrigued – about anything that has to do with the human condition – the human psyche. That includes religious beliefs.
7. I have written two books (both are listed in the column on the right side of this blog under Connections and Interests). This is not terribly weird and certainly not random. But it is a fact about me that I feel like sharing here. For me, I guess it means that I have chosen writing as my way of self expression. I used to think I would be a singer, but instead have become a writer. What is weird and seemingly random, however, about both singing and writing for me, is that I become hoarse after doing either of them. Even as I am hoarse right now after writing this post!