Saturday, January 31, 2009

You will not believe what I answered when Liat asked me what was for dinner the other day

"Hamburgers, Be'ezrat Hashem".

Which sent Isaac and her into peels of laughter as we drove home from work.

I looked at them both, with one eyebrow raised. (Well, I can't do the one-eyebrow-raise, but if I could, that would have been the expression on my face).

"What exactly is so funny about hamburgers?"

They looked at each other through the rear-view mirror and again starting laughing.

"It's not the hamburgers, mommy, it's the be'ezrat Hashem".

Yeah, well. In recent years I've been pretty into the "Baruch Hashem [Thank G-d]" and "Be'ezrat Hashem [with G-d's Help]" thing. But I usually used those words in regard to health (I never take that for granted) and for future plans (as in Be'ezrat Hashem the kids'll go to camp this summer). I guess it struck Isaac and Liat funny that I used it in regard to a dinner that was a couple of hours away. They think I'm totally being influenced by the charedi environment where I work. And they're probably not wrong. I've realized over there that you can't answer the question "how are you?" without saying "fine, Baruch Hashem". G-d permeates every sentence they speak.

What my charedi co-workers don't realize, but my family does, is that I also have a tendency to use foul language. I've always tried not to use that language in front of the kids, but as they get older, it does slip out more. It's something I should work on, I know, but it can be so satisfying in certain situations (such as when you drop the pot of chicken soup all over the floor or when someone cuts you off on the road). Oddly, sometimes I find myself using both foul language and Baruch Hashem in almost the same sentence....

Sigh. You all probably think so much less of me now.

(BTW, my friend Gila has also written about her tendency to use those words (the Be'ezrat Hashem, not the foul language). I'd link up to the exact post, but like me, she doesn't index her posts).

6 comments:

rutimizrachi said...

I think you're #@%$! adorable. When are we having our next coffee and pastry date, b'ezrat Hashem?

Anonymous said...

Nice post which made me smile.

SuperRaizy said...

About the foul language: I am SO guilty of that. And sometimes it comes back to bite me. Last year, at Thanksgiving dinner at my sister's house (about 25 people), my 9 year old daughter dropped something on the floor and let out a loud "Oh, s***!" I was totally embarassed.
Anyway, I hope the hamburgers were Baruch Hashem tasty.

Leora said...

You all probably think so much less of me now.
It's funny, how that's what you think, and instead, you draw everyone in closer!

I can't say I'm guilty of saying "B'Ezrat Hashem", but I have been scolded by my kids for swearing (I only do so under great duress). They take good care of me.

Baila said...

Shucks, you guys are the best *@!$# blog friends a girl could have!

RivkA with a capital A said...

Cursing is absolutely my downfall.

My mother scolded me for it when I was a kid, and now my kids scolds me for it!

But I swore off cursing (pun intended) when my daughter started cursing on purpose (in frustration over my cursing)

Oh how I wish it were not so!!

(though if that was my big rebellion, can you really fault me?? everyone else I know did serious stuff....)

wow, a coffee and pastry date...

sounds better than coffee and chemo....