Hello Everyone,
I wanted to take a moment to explain why I haven’t been uploading much lately. Life has thrown a lot at me recently, and I’ve been trying to keep up — emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
A few weeks ago, my mom fractured her hip. I have set aside a lot of time daily to be her caregiver, which has been both an act of love and a major life shift. Watching someone you love in pain, helping her navigate recovery, and managing everything from doctors orders to meals — this is challenging for sure. And I’d do it a thousand times over for her. But this change has left little energy for anything else.
As if that weren’t enough, I just found out I need hip surgery myself. It feels surreal — like my body is quietly raising its hand and saying, “hey why have you been ignoring this constant pain for 5 years?” I’ve been pushing through discomfort for a while, but now it’s something I can’t ignore. I’m bracing for what that recovery will look like while still being there for my mom.
And then there’s the emotional weight of the world. I’m heartbroken and overwhelmed by the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the rising tension in Iran. Watching children starve to death, impoverished people being bombed in tents, people silenced, and history repeating itself in horrifying ways — it affects me intensely. Creating content in a time like this feels strange, sometimes even hollow, when so many are suffering.
I say all this not as an excuse, but as a reminder — we’re all human. Behind every “content creator” is a real person, trying to hold it together in a world that sometimes feels like it’s falling apart. If you’re going through something heavy too, I see you. Let’s keep holding space for each other.
Thanks for sticking with me. I’ll be back as soon as I can — with content that’s honest, heartfelt, and reflective of where I really am. In the meantime, here is a slice of my life from my car below, the only time I have to interact with people on the phone these days.
With care,
Blanche
I care ! I’m in the midst of parent care-giving as well. And the world is breaking my heart …
You are not alone Teresa! Sending you strength and love! XO
Shukran, Blanche, for this very moving video.
I, too, had put off hip-replacement surgery for years (I’d never had ANY kind of surgery, nor spent a single night in the hospital), but finally had it done at the age of 74 — in 2020, during the height of the “scamdemic.” And I’m grateful for my remarkable “patient outcome,” which had me driving again in 10 short days!
If only tackling the Middle East injustice and misery were that easy . . .
~David Sowd
Wow thanks for sharing your story, just the encouragement I needed! So glad you are back to normal and so true, if only creating Midde Eastern peace were that easy. I appreciate you!
And I, you!
(BTW, I finally got around to tasting Akkawi cheese, which originated in my jiddo’s birthplace — and I really liked it.)