When people ask me how I feel about the war in Ukraine, I like to pause for drama and in my best Captain Highliner voice I say -“Have you ever been to sea Billy?”. If pressed to “be serious” I add -“Sometimes the waves get soooo high, you can’t eat your dinner!”. I may even throw in a wink and start muttering about old aching freebooters who nap in the orlop. That’s usually when people naturally switch to telling me how the war is affecting their peace of mind. I’m all ears for this. Tell me again how deep shower thoughts about the war are messing with your daily routine. Have you upped your antidepressant dosage? Doubled your vitamin D regimen? Re-discovered yoga? Gotten “really into” Tunisian folk music? Tell me more about that person you know with a cousin in Odessa. In this way, I don’t lie to anyone about my actual feelings and I offer a humorous opening through which they can share how they feel. It’s a win-win. The truth of course is that I have a stomach full o’ brine. It seems I’m not alone…
