Today was a special Shabbat, but in many ways, a difficult one. We had three wonderful friends staying with us, which was truly lovely, yet this Shabbat marked some significant changes for me.
For the first time, I used a manual wheelchair instead of my electric one—and needed to be pushed. It was not an easy experience. I did lead the Friday night service from the wheelchair, which shows I’m still pushing myself hard, but the weekend left me completely exhausted. I even had to sit out the main courses at both meals because I simply didn’t have the energy. At one point, my dear friend Daniel saved me from what could have been a very nasty fall as I tried to get out of the chair.
My vision feels noticeably worse (at least to me), and this was really the first time I’ve fully realised how much I’ve declined. The final straw came when I broke my own strict rules and took a bite of challah, knowing I shouldn’t. Predictably, I choked.
I’ve reached a point of real dependence, and that scares me. I’m doing my best to cope and remain positive, but this weekend was a wake-up call.
With that in mind, I’ve decided to publish my third book immediately. It’s been sitting in a two-week editing cycle, but I’ve pressed the button. This book isn’t about PSP—it’s a collection of 40+ (hopefully!) humorous stories from my kosher travels around the world during my career. Writing it was a wonderful escape from PSP, but as it becomes harder to see and move, I need to get it out there.
It’s been professionally edited, and I want to thank my editor for the very professional job they did. Instead of going through a third, fourth, or fifth pass, I’ve decided to release it now. It feels in good shape, though I ask forgiveness for any minor errors that remain.
Amazon have 72 hours to review the book so hold steady – I will communicate when officially published
