Laws of Distraction
A story, spirit-lifting resources, & an #everydayisJewishbookday interview with author Zeeva Bukai

Hi there, lovely people.
Let me start by saying that one of the few things I know to be true right now is that I’m in dire need of good distractions.
Crocheting is a biggie.
Since October 7, I’ve managed my stress by crocheting for Israel through #YarnYisraelChai — mostly baby blankets and afghans for wounded soldiers. But the OT who evaluated me last week said I’ve also succeeded in inflaming the innerworkings of my hands and wrists. She put me on a regimen of hand exercises and a temporary crochet hiatus I’m very unhappy about. In the meantime, I’m turning my attention back to an altered book I started working on back in August.
Next up on my distractions list is the conflicting duo of decluttering and thrifting. I love parting with and rehoming things we no longer need/use/love. What an opportunity to make room for the new! And yet, even for a gatherer like me, it’s not only about the stuff. Walking the aisles of a thrift store or upcycling a hand-me-down end table takes my mind off whatever craziness is at the top or bottom of the news.
Finding a treasure can be the best distraction of all.
Last week, my husband Miro and I drove out to the Five Towns for an annual hearing test.
Having arrived early for our appointment, we strolled up and down Central Avenue and popped into the National Council of Jewish Women thrift shop, where I stumbled upon two gems. The first, an ornately carved mirror, which Miro carried around without a kvetch.
The second was a faux mink stole from Saks, which I discovered in a $2 scarf bin. A stolen stole at that price, I quipped under my breath, imagining my grandmother’s laughter.
More than twenty years ago, when we were packing up her apartment and dispersing her belongings in preparation for her move into an assisted living, she offered me her real fur stole — replete with head, tail, and four paws. It had been one of her only luxuries, but I turned it down. Ewww, I said, squirming.
At one point in the packing, Grandma acknowledged the elephant in the room. “I’m glad I’ve lived most of my life already. The world is only getting harder to be in.”
If only she could see the place now.
The $2 fake one, sans head, tail, and paws, felt like a gift from her, straight from the World to Come, as if she knew I’d dig through the scarves. As if she could really see how much I needed her right now. It was a reminder not to lose hope. Always, but especially now.
Other Distractions
I’ve developed a slight obsession with baby animal videos on Instagram. I realized yesterday that I follow not one, but two separate accounts featuring baby otters, for example. But a comfort is a comfort, however it’s packaged. Here are a few others — not otters :) — I think you’ll enjoy:
Watch as thousands of yellow-spotted baby turtles are released into the Amazon.
And this video of the Bronx Zoo’s new silver langur baby, born in November.
Have you ever taken — or heard of — a joybreak?
Just one more baby animal. I can’t resist this newborn elephant in Oregon.
Check out this calendar from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.
This artist draws homes lost in the LA wildfires, gifting the images to families.
These heart-shaped origami bookmarks are a super easy project. I’m thinking about making a bunch to gift with a borrowed book upon return.
7-Eleven is offering free Slurpees on Fridays throughout February. I don’t even like Slurpees, but this makes me smile.
And last but definitely not least, this recipe for Date Bark from Eating Bird Food.
Mini-Interview with Author Zeeva Bukai
If you’re not on Facebook, or not following me on Facebook, or even if you are, you may have missed my #everydayisJewishbookday mini-interviews with Jewish authors, which I launched during Jewish Book Month in December. It seemed like a nice thing to do for Jewish and Israeli authors, who are having a rough time of it on the post-October 7 literary landscape.
I thought I’d start sharing the interviews in this space as well.
Today, meet Zeeva Bukai, who was born in Israel and raised in NYC. She holds an MFA from Brooklyn College and is the Assistant Director of Academic Support at SUNY Empire State University. Her stories have appeared in numerous journals. Her novel The Anatomy of Exile was published in January of this year to much acclaim.
1. Describe your writing journey for us.
Unlike most of the students in my MFA program, I was forty with a family when I began. My first novel took eight years to write. It made it as far as an agent. Twenty-six rejections later, it languishes in a drawer. The Anatomy of Exile took ten years from start to publication. I had setbacks, changed the point-of-view from that of Ruby, the teenage daughter, to Tamar, her mother. After all that time and work, it’s finally published. I almost can’t believe it.
2. What compelled you to write The Anatomy of Exile? Do its roots lie in your own family history?
I wanted to understand my immigrant experience, my parents Mizrahi-Ashkenazi marriage, Israel, themes of home and exile. So yes, the roots of this story lie in my family history, but the plot, characters, and themes are inventions of my imagination.
3. The theme of home -- physical, spiritual, metaphorical -- runs through your book. It's so beautifully written and explored, but the concept is loaded, like the rumble of a stream during a storm. Talk about that a bit.
Camus said, “We all carry within us our places of exile.” I believe that’s true of home as well. In the novel, home is a physical place in Tel-Aviv and NYC, but it’s also spiritual and metaphysical because it’s a place of longing, where dreams are pinned and lost, and illusions of safety are housed. And home is also a nostalgic construct that brings an ache to the throat for what no longer is and possibly never was.
4. What are the challenges of publishing a book that is anchored in love, that tries to see through hate and fear and loss during a war?
Publishing any book is challenging, but one about Israel, I think, is always difficult, especially if the novel doesn’t adhere to a specific narrative and doesn’t take sides. I think it takes courage and faith to publish a book like mine, especially after October 7th. I’m thrilled Delphinium decided to take a chance on it.
5. What book has been most influential on you as a person (or as a writer)?
If I have to choose one, it’s The Lover by Marguerite Duras. Exquisitely written, shifting seamlessly from past to present, memory and a nonlinear structure reflect the fragmented lives of those living under French colonial rule in Vietnam.
That’s All for Now
Let me know how you’re staying joyful and grounded these days. Leave a comment below this post.
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Sending warm thoughts to all of you. Be kind to others, but start with yourself.
Love,
Merri