I love to walk in extreme heat. In the late summer afternoons, I “do” 9 kilometers along the beach.
The beach sands are still burning and the Mediterranean sun is still pounding down at 4 pm when my walk begins, but by 520 pm, the cool wind has been added to the mix.
It is not wise to walk on the beach in a city being bombed. The shelters are few and far between; sirens cannot be heard clearly if the sea is noisy.
I have lived long enough to know that when my time comes, it comes.
At 440 pm, I hear a siren. There is no where to go. The sea waves on my left are high, the sand strip on which I walking is narrow; I have a huge stone wall on my right. Maybe I should not be here. Fuck it. Johnny Walker. Keep walking. Two faint blasts are heard.I check my smartphone; 3 missiles have been downed over a working class area. Keep walking.
At 515 pm I can see my car 100 meters away in the parking lot . Again, the sirens go off. There is a very very loud noise everywhere. My hearing is better than I thought. Out of nowhere, I see missiles overhead. Right over my head. Iron Dome missiles are also over head. Right over my head.
When did this chaos in the parking lot area begin? Where is the yelling coming from? I hear fearful curses in Hebrew, French, Russian, Arabic and English. People are running, some are crying, frightened. Some people are laughing. Someone is putting on sun oil.
I look up. The Iron Dome interception is overhead. There is going to be shrapnel. If it hits me, I hope it is a direct hit. No injuries please. I took care of my wife when she was dying. My kids are great. And I did enjoy the walk. How much longer till the shrapnel hits the ground for shit sake? This is taking forever. I am not a patient person. Never was.
When nothing falls near me, I get into my car and update my daughter who never worries anyway. “So Abba (dad), you are still around? and we laugh.
I put on my favourite song, and drive off.
Keep walking.
Follow me @AllonShevat
Allon,
This posting gripped me. It is one of the most human and human posting I have read in a while. One thing that got me was the exchange between you and your daughter. Says a lot about you – a lot about how you raised her – and a lot about her.
I pray for your safety Allon. And the safety of your daughter and loved ones.
Cordially,
Ed
Drive On!
Merci Ed.
Tough times.
Keep walking!…and drive on 😉
Allon, You illustrate the saying that “Life goes on,” despite the rockets and the threat of annihilation, even in a parking lot at the beach. Stay safe and well, my friend. May this conflict soon pass…and may neighbors live in peace.
Thanks Terry.
It was quite a Thursday afternoon.
Mais oui.
Never ceases to amaze me how mundane the terrifying can become. I am happy you are safe.
Sylvia
Merci Sylvia
Allon
I’d feel sorry for the missile that had the temerity to hit Allon Shevat.
More seriously, I hope that you have a secure space to go near or under your home.
Chuck
I sure do Chuck….at home….not at the beach. In the shelter, however, I need to meet my neighbours.
So glad you are safe–again–Allon. . .
When will this madness end?
Love from Krakow,
John
My heart goes out to you.
I would leave the country if I could.
We love you Allon.
Allow the experience to be more committed to help people and the world change for the better. You one of few who has the competency to help the non-USA world.
roland
Merci Roland.
Thank G-d you’re OK, Allon. I worry about you & about my good friend in Efrat daily.
Hi there, I walk 6.2 miles each day on the beach here in Jacksonville Beach, FL. Sometimes I am fearful, as I walk these miles alone. Wilbur cannot bear the sun at all. But like yourself, I enjoy the sun beating down on me and warming my body, absorbing the healing Vitamin D and the cosmic energy of the ocean’s waves. I consider this my healing, meditative and prayer time, as I plod along, drinking water and often thinking I cannot endure the journey. However, my Spirit endures and I continue on, leaving bare footprints in the sand, as I am only 5’4″ in stature and weighing in @ a mere 116 lbs. This does not deter me from my goal. I wish you the best. Wilbur speaks so kindly of you.
Peace, Blessings & Joy,
Lois Pike
Thanks Lois!
How about eating some ice cream and chocolate sauce…..u may read 119 lbs!
allon
Hi Allon,
Will think of you while walking on the beach here and hope for a better world for us all. Thanks for sharing this deeply personal reflection.
Be safe!
Sheri
How good to hear from you Sheri.
Thanks so much.
allon
Be safe, Godspeed.
Allon, my thoughts and prayers are with you and everyone. My daughter is on tour with a youth group now in the north until they get clearance to bring the kids back to the cities again. This is her second time to Israel, the first, 3 years ago when we backpacked through the country hand in hand together. Now, at 17 (and an American kid) she knows what it’s like to head for shelters on a moment’s notice and to live a life of challenges very few understand. May sanity prevail soon, and we all find a way much closer to the Source where these happenings would be completely unthinkable.
– Shem
My dearest friend Allon;
As you are showered by heartfelt words of love from so many, rockets rain on your head and your childrens’ hope for peace. As blessings and shrapnels fall from the sky, dantesqually, prayers rise to the heavens for you and for peace. Meanwhile, you… well you jog on the beach, and later meet your daughter in gentle embrace: a most moving scene in real life, your life, from “La Vita E Bella”: your life as you create it and live it. Your life: An offering of beauty and light as the catastrophe unfolds until the higher missions from both Hamas and Israel inevitably turns to dust.
I hold you and your family in prayerful love.