This will not be your typical Yom Kippur post, whatever that means, being in an extremely non-neuro”typical” family.

While I was having a nice productive gardening day, Avdi was dealing with impossibly complicated issues relating to the kids’ mental health, ridiculously unaffordable and inaccessible therapists and psychiatrists for the whole family, and the vicious cycle of trying to focus on the work that will not ever quite support all these needs, while having to lose work focus/time to deal with delinquent kids, and feeling like a failing parent.  Like I said, complicated.  That’s only the synopsis.

Skip to our monthly date, which Avdi needed to keep if only to briefly escape all the trauma at home.  For me, it was another colorful adventure in this strange city that never fails to amaze.  So much going on around each corner.

First, I finally got to see Avdi’s workspace, Nebula.  It was nothing like the boring office space I had been picturing!  See for yourself!  I just love the touch of the urinal planter!

Then we hung out on Cherokee, bar-hopping.  These two joints, The Whiskey Ring and Yaquis Pizza, were both interesting in different ways.  I had a very good Sazerac with absinthe in the first, where we went and sat outside.  The whole time, Avdi was having to deal with Y’s latest misdemeanors.  But at least he was able to share a little with me.

The second one had excellent pizza, and live jazz.  I actually didn’t get a second drink, GF.  Amusing drunk characters kept talking to me.  It felt a little like Baltimore, sort of eccentric/homey.  Sadly, Avdi’s concerns were still pressing, just not as adjacent.  Inevitably, he would have to go home and face it all head-on.

As we walked to the car, these people were creating some kind of indescribable (analog electronic?) music out in an empty lot, under the moon.  We hung out there for a while.  As I said, this city is full of unexpected surprises and creativity.

So now it’s Yom Kippur, but the continuing drama of dealing with divergent needs doesn’t stop for even the holiest of holy days.  I know Avdi feels hopeless much of the time, and I can see why.  Of course it’s the system failing us, not him failing to handle the impossible singlehandedly, but that doesn’t ease the worry.  I feel powerless to help ; all I can do is hope to keep supporting myself so I don’t become an additional drain, and try to find small ways to ease his daily reality.

If I believed in the gods of vengeance, I would insist they quickly bring karmic hell down upon these wicked, depraved fascists, as justice demands.  That’s my YK “prayer”.