Haran Keslo/Itzik Navon, Factory 54
On the morning of Simchat Torah, October 7, I was with my wife Sivan and our two children Karmi, 10, and Bari, 7, in our home in Kibbutz Bari.
When the first alarm went off, we thought we were at the beginning of another rocket fire, as it happens to us from time to time.
Over time, the magnitude of the event dawned on us.
Something in the mind, usually tries to normalize the situation for us, and not go to the worst situations.
As the hours passed, we realized that hundreds of terrorists were going from house to house in the kibbutz and murdering everyone who was there.
Within it we already began to understand that we were facing the worst of all, and yet - we tried in the unimaginable situation that was created to mediate something different and optimistic to the children who were still in their pajamas.
After long hours of stress and anxiety, we were rescued by my brother who came to us on his own initiative and with the help of improvised strength he gathered along the way.
One of the most important elements in my recovery from that cursed day is running, which allows me time with myself while skipping.
The sport helps me process and break down the everyday and the many experiences I've been going through in recent times
In such situations a person acts out of instinct.
When you are in the MMD and realize that in a moment you will be slaughtered with your children, you will in any case not come out of it completely unscathed. Still, "normalcy" should be allowed in the shadow of this horrible reality and therefore we also mediated the situation to the children during the event and that is how we protected them.
One of the most important elements in rehabilitation Mine from that cursed day is running. Running allows me time with myself while skipping. The sport helps me process and break down the everyday and the many experiences I've been going through lately.
One thing I have control over
This is exactly why one of the first things I did the day after the events, in Moshav Timart in the Lower Galilee where we arrived for a short period as refugees without anything that was ours, was to simply send a message to a friend that I needed running shoes.
The next day, they were already with me.
Even now, when we live in Givat Brenner with my wife's family, I make sure to run all the time, and I even recently joined a running group of amazing people who challenge me and lift me up.
There is something about running that helps a lot - sports activity outside, in nature, in the landscape, allows you to organize your thoughts.
In addition to contributing to physical health and fitness, sports activity in which the body is in motion also allows relaxation of the mind.
It's a period of quiet time with yourself.
A running routine helps me process what I've been through with my family, and helps me be a better father and husband.
Being a refugee means that you basically have nothing that is yours.
Right now I don't have a house that is mine, I don't have any clothes, and I also asked friends for the running shoes.
When you have nothing that belongs to you, and you also don't know when it will even be possible to return home, the life you live is full of uncertainty.
Maintaining a regular training routine helps me create certainty.
It is reassuring and gives a feeling that here, there is one thing that I have complete control over, that is mine and that I am not a refugee in it.
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It gives me a lot of strength.
This accumulation of power lies in an important choice: it is very easy for someone who has "seen death in the eyes" to fall to a place where he deserves from now on to "enjoy" and release every burden.
But such a choice, at least for me, takes away the sense of self-control that is important to me in order to create stability in life.
Another important thing is setting goals.
As long as I'm not dead, I can set these for myself.
Without planning too much, I chose to sign up for a marathon in the spring.
When there is a goal, the other choices such as continuing to run and being careful with nutrition converge on the goal you want to achieve, which creates a sense of commitment and dedication, which only spurs and improves results, as well as the feeling.
Haran Keslo, an artist and father of two from Kibbutz Bari, will participate in the PAPAYA Tel Aviv night race that will take place on Wednesday, April 17, 2024
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