Author: Bambi

Bambi remains fascinated by how Will, her dear friend and fellow Sackville citizen, kindly warned her about the threats of the latest imminent attacks on Beirut from out of Canada before she heard about the warnings herself (still visiting her family in Beirut). Thanks to him for his digital quickness, online savviness, and for his concern.

This being said, it was deeply heart-breaking for her to watch the night of horror on TV and witness, once again, the suffering of people. She also smelled what seemed like a fire (roughly a 10-minute-drive away) while chatting with her sister who was hearing the scary sounds (roughly a 5-minute-drive away). She remained glued in front of the TV, watching scared people fleeing on foot or in motor vehicles before the air raids. At all times, such a hopeless scene is tragic to watch. It is even more so on the eve of a “Eid” [Feast] where people are supposed to be celebrating, not running for their lives and losing loved ones or their apartments. May the Adha Eid’s blessings and joys, on pause yesterday night, resume in people’s surviving homes and aching hearts.

Of note, Bambi still does not know if there were any casualties. She could not find any stats on injuries or deaths in the online Lebanese media this morning. Did the attacked buildings truly include drone factories, as pretended by the attacker? And if so, was it fair or wise to destroy them in this manner? And again if so, is it fair and wise to produce them among the innocents? And if not, why the lies and the cruelty?

All these questions and Bambi does not understand the complex games of wars, military or political, among the word’s big nations. It is neither her expertise, nor her interest. She only knows that she loves her birth country, especially its charming capital, with ALL its people. Indeed, she prays for the safety and dignity of all the innocent people caught in the middle of fire and of collective insanity. Of course, beyond the borders of tiny Lebanon, she also prays for the safety of all the innocent people everywhere, and whomever they are, without any exception. Enough of wars, fear, hatred, and retaliations. How to break the endless cycles of violence in the Middle East? What about finally working for peace and thus for the will of life and even the will of love?

Also known as the “Feast [or “Eid”] of Sacrifice”, Eid al Adha is all about the love of God. Indeed, it commemorates Abraham’s story of willingness to sacrifice his own son, just for the sake of his loyalty to and love of God. However, at the very last moment, a sheep miraculously replaced the son. Yes, God did not want Abraham to offer his son. Hence the replacement of young child with the animal.

Of note, Eid el Adha is a shared feast between Muslims and Druze around the world.

What is Islam, to begin with? “It is a major world religion, founded by Muhammad in Arabia in the early 7th century ce… Islam is a strictly monotheistic religion, and its adherents, are called Muslims” (https://tinyurl.com/3k7dpu3u).

Muslims consider “the Prophet Muhammad as the last and most perfect of God’s messengers, who include Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and others” (https://tinyurl.com/3k7dpu3u).

What about the Druze? They are “a prominent religious community of more than a million people” (https://tinyurl.com/3u7dmxk5). Interestingly, they are spread mainly across Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and China.

“The Druze emerged in Egypt in the early 11th century as a branch of the Ismaili sect of Shiite Islam. They are monotheistic and call themselves “muwahhidun”, or unitarians”. “Highly secretive”, the Druze faith “includes mystical elements like reincarnation” (https://tinyurl.com/3u7dmxk5).

During this time of joyful celebrations, it is common for people celebrating Adha to sacrifice a sheep, sharing it among family members and friends while “distributing some meat to poor people” (https://tinyurl.com/4x56stw9).

Happy Eid el Adha! May it be both blessed and fun for all those celebrating it!

“Leo, The 3 Keys” is a great book to read. Indeed, Mr. David Schields’ book is about a boy called Leo, the son of bakers who one afternoon began questioning the career path all traced before him. He wondered if “this is what all life has in store for him… forever destined to be the son of a baker“. Does this mean that he won’t ever experience adventures similar to those he reads about in his books? Despite being raised in a beautiful village, he never felt he truly belonged anywhere in it.

All the above was true… up until he discovered a mysterious garden, which is described in this outstanding book. The latter is not just a journey in a charming garden. Cleverly, it is also about someone finding himself through this external mysterious journey.

The author’s writing style is simple and clear, yet rich. Indeed, Mr. Shields’ clarity and beauty of the language are striking, so is the depth of his expression. Indeed, his writing style is filled with nuances and enriching subtleties. His book is written in a language accessible for kids while being captivating for the inner child within adults.

The imagination of the the writer, Mr. Dave Schields, is refreshing. An example of a paragraph Bambi particularly enjoyed can be found in Chapter 5, entitled “The singing stones”: “I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the melody fill my mind. I focused on the rhythm, on the way the stones seemed to hum with energy. Slowly, I began to move again, feeling my way through the maze, stone by stone. Each time I touched the right stone, the melody shifted, the vibrations growing stronger. When I made a mistake, the hum would falter, and I’d have to adjust my path.”

Of note, Mr. Shields’ elegant writing talent is harmoniously matched by his spouse’s most beautiful illustrations. Yes, Ms. Joëlle Shields’ illustrations are a masterpiece. They do an excellent job in announcing the chapters of the book. As examples, you can see a few of them below.

One thing is sure. If Bambi had children, she would have bought them Mr. Schields’ books (he is highly productive). Thankfully, she now knows what gifts to offer to the children of friends and relatives. She trusts that their parents will enjoy reading them as well. Please keep writing, Mr. Dave Schields and keep drawing, Ms. Joëlle Schields. Your professional collaborations are as beautiful as the love that unites you!

As Dr. Les Carter often reminds us (https://tinyurl.com/4dd69f4c), “stating the obvious, something is not right inside narcissists. For perspective, remember that we humans are hard-wired for relationships, for love and connection.  Literally from Day One we seek out those who can become our safe harbor, and we find contentment as that effort succeeds.  Essentials like trust, empathy, and psychological well-being can flourish when properly nurtured. As you consider the traits of narcissism, you can easily wonder: What went wrong?  Instead of fostering safety, many traits interfered with healthy relationship development”.

Bearing the above in mind, Bambi was happy when she learned that there is a full day devoted to raising awareness about narcissistic abuse since 2016. It is the “World Narcissitic Abuse Awareness Day” and is highlighted on June 1st. As well stated on its website (https://tinyurl.com/4rcznmwj): “unlike physical abuse, narcissistic abuse leaves no physical marks. A form of psychological and emotional abuse, narcissistic abuse is invisible and difficult to prove. Yet, its effects are lasting and harmful”.

One must keep in mind that narcissism is a personality style, to cite Dr. Ramani Durvasula. Like any personality style, it exists on a spectrum. Of course, not all emotional abusers have narcissistic traits or are narcissists (with a disorder of kind of inflated grandiosity and self-esteem, https://tinyurl.com/eate5u2x), as we learn from Dr. David Hawkins’ 40 plus year-long practice. However, all narcissists resort to emotional abuse.

To conclude this post, Bambi will first borrow the beautiful epigraph in Dr. Darren Magee’s book, “Surviving Other People’s Self-Esteem: The Lengths Some People Go to Just to Feel Better Than Others”. The epigraph goes likes this: “Life is ten percent what happens to us, and ninety percent how we react to it.” – Dennis P. Kimbro. Second, she will end with the late Ms. Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous saying “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent“. Self-education is key for empowerment, healing, and personal growth.

Luckily for all of us, in this day and age, we have fast, free access to several resources on narcissistic abuse. This can empower and support those of us who are moving away from toxic relationship. It can also teach some of us tips of self-protection, even when “no contact” is not possible or wanted (e.g., a family member, a co-parent, a boss, etc.). Most importantly, it may also help us avoid potential narcissists in the future (learning about red flags and trusting one’s intuition). Of course, if anyone is in danger (i.e, risk of physical harm), he/she should get immediate help.

The very talented health psychologist Dr. Sarah Pressman is a Professor of Psychological Science and an Associate Dean, Division of Undergraduate Education, at the University of California, Irvine.

Of note, she holds a BSc (honors) in Biopsychology from Mount Allison University. Cool and what a pride for her alma mater!

Following this, she successful completed a Post Doctoral Fellowship in Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh, after earning an MSc and PhD in Social, Personality & Health Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University.

Dr. Pressman’s timely research focuses on the interplay between stress, psychological well-being, and health. She is particularly interested in both the physiological processes and behaviours that underlie these complex associations.

Some examples of research projects at her leading lab, on the markers of well-being as predictors of health. include the following: computerized word encoding of writing, positive facial emotion expression, such as smiling, unobtrusive methods of investigating individual differences, positive energy restoration, via sleep and vacations, the study of vigour, and of smiling while being given a sham (or false/not real) vaccine.

Bearing the above in mind, now is the time to leave you with the inspiring and uplifting Dr. Pressman who was recently interviewed (about 30 minutes) by the UC Irvine Podcast’s Ms. Cara Capuano. Enjoy!

Three days ago, Bambi attended an inspiring event in Beirut with a vibrant audience essentially made up of journalists as well as trainees in journalism.

Organized by the energetic Dr. Roula Azar Douglas (President of the newborn UPF Liban) and co-moderated by her, along with seasoned journalist Ms. Patricia Khoder, the inauguration of the “Union de la Presse Francophone” (UPF LIban) took place at the Institute of Political Science of the Université Saint-Joseph.

In partnership with the “International Organisation of La Francophonie” (OIF) for the Middle East, the Lebanese inauguration included two thought-provoking round tables , marking the launch of UPF Liban, the newest national chapter of the international “Union de la Presse Francophone”. Wow, bravo!

To begin with, the UPF (again: Union de la presse francophone) is an international organization, which brings together journalists, editors, and related professionals from the French-language press. Founded on May 13, 1950, the UPF has about 4,000 members in 110 branches worldwide (https://tinyurl.com/5n6kzcay). Of note, Canada is one of the countries where the UPF is active, with branches in several provinces, including Radio-Canada. The latter was mentioned by the keynote speakers.

As far UPF Liban is concerned, the latter is envisioned to be a space, bringing together print, radio, television, and online media journalists around shared core values, namely the defense of independent journalism, the strengthening of professional rigour and work ethics, the promotion of the French language in the Lebanese media landscape, and the creation of a dynamic hub for training, exchange, and collaborations with a spirit of solidarity. For instance, UPF Lebanon will be open to both Arabophone and Anglophone media professionals, not just Francophones. The only requirement from members is to understand the French language, not even speak it and surely not use it for work). If this is not a welcoming and a genuinely inclusive collegial attitude, what is it then?

Of note, this very first UPF Liban event was harmoniously aligned with the philosophy of the host university, established in Beirut in 1875 by the Jesuits with a motto of “Promoting the training of the whole person and openness to others, promoting dialogue“. Indeed, the inauguration was a golden opportunity for an enriching chat among journalists of different approaches or visions. Topics addressed included independence of journalism, artificial intelligence, fake news, fact checks, biased news ,solutions and/or preventive measures (e.g., checking sources, using tools to detect fake news online, etc.).

Regardless of the richness of their intellectual diversity, what united all participants was a commitment to journalistic rigour, and thus to independent journalism. As two speakers explained well, the media can have a specific editorial line, it is OK, if it remains professional, rigorous, and truthful.

Related to the above, it is Bambi’s impression that one of the beauties of tiny Lebanon is the diversity of its media and intellectuals’ tendencies. Of course, the challenge is to keep being committed to fostering real dialogues among everyone. This means avoiding falling into the trap of working in silos, in what looks like echo chambers, or with an intellectual paralysis due to much political correctness, like in today’s Canada or other parts of the world.

To come back to the inauguration of UPF Liban, it featured opening remarks by Dr. Sami Nader, Director of the Institute of Political Science at the USJ, Dr. Roula Azar Douglas, President of UPF Liban and journalist at L’Orient-Le Jour, Ms. Zara Nazarian, Secretary General of the international UPF, who travelled all the way from Yerevan, Armenia, for the occasion, and last but not least Mr. Levon Amirjanyan, OIF Representative for the Middle East.

Following the above, two round tables on disinformation took place, captivating the attention and participation of the audience, which asked questions and shared thoughtful insights. Indeed, Bambi was impressed by the high calibre of questions, especially by students from other institutions as well, including the Lebanese University. Bravo to all!

Specifically, the first round table, “Media and Disinformation: Responsibilities, Practices, and Perspectives”, brought together Mr, Anthony Samrani (Editor-in-Chief, L’Orient-Le Jour or OLJ), Ms. Joyce Hanna (AFP), Ms. Victoria Werling (independent journalist), and Ms. Laura Rahal (Maharat), in a beautiful conversation moderated by Dr. Roula Azar Douglas (Editor, Orient des Campus of OLJ among other affiliations, both national and international). The speakers addressed the challenges stemming from disinformation and shared their precious insights on current professional practices and ethical considerations. Bambi appreciated the flow of moderation of this round table a lot. Well done, Dr. Azar Douglas!

The second roundtable, “Disinformation and Democratic Fragility”, offered an interdisciplinary enriching perspective on some of the systemic effects of disinformation. Speakers included Dr. Sami Nader (USJ), Mr. Peter Harling (Research Centre Synaps), and Mr. Ayman Mehanna (SKeyes). The moderator was Ms. Patricia Khoder (Beyrouth360.com) who gave her guests opportunities to fully elaborate on their clever and highly inspiring insights. Great job!

Last but surely not least, one of the key moments of the event, which took place between the first and second round tables, was a presentation of the OIF tools to support the development of a national policy to foster journalistic rigour in Lebanon. Examples included capacity building for journalists at the National News Agency (ANI), a public service media outlet, a national public awareness campaign, evaluation of regulatory mechanisms, support of project developers, such as the Lebanese company Siren Analytics, which presented the “Loi-Legal Checking” tool. Developed in partnership with Les Surligneurs (France) and the USJ Faculty of International Law, this AI-based tool helps journalists, legal experts, and citizens to better understand international humanitarian law, re-centring these legal principles within public discourse.

To conclude this post, Félicitations [“Mabrouk”] to UPF Liban! The latter has all what it takes to become a dynamic hub for the exchange of ideas, mutual support, and for the creation of initiatives where journalists will remain “united for quality independent information“, in line with the core values of the Francophone world [La Francophonie].

For those who may not know him, Mr. Patrick Georgevitch started his professional journey with a degree in physiotherapy. He has since refined his academic and professional skills with numerous postgraduate certifications, particularly in mechanical and manual therapy. In addition to being a fitness expert, having become a personal trainer, fitness therapist, and a sports and strength conditioning specialist with various sub-certifications, he specializes in performance nutrition.

On July 6, 2024, Bambi was honoured and delighted when she interviewed Montreal-based Patrick Georgevitch, as shown further below. Today, she is thrilled to know that Mr. Georgevitch (or Patrick) is on Substack.

Indeed, Patrick’s platform is called “Drops”. Stay tuned, but until then, what is Drops? It is a space where he shares brief and truthful reflections on clarity, health, resilience, and cutting through the noise.

If you’re curious or want to follow Patrick, you can subscribe here: https://shorturl.at/8x62O. Trust that he would love you to join. Thus far, there is one post introducing him and Substack. VERY SOON, he will start sharing more Drops.

Please stay tuned everyone, especially if you are interested in Patrick’s outstanding health-related content, especially that many of you expressed your appreciation of his work and explanation. Some of you may already be among his lucky followers.

Of note, Patrick will start sharing Drops in a  few days. If you subscribe to his Substack, you will receive his broadcast emails. Specifically, if you are subscribed and he shares new posts, you will receive an email like a newsletter. You may share the drops you get as mails as well. However, in order to be on his mailing list, you must subscribe to his profile. There is no need to create an account yourself. By subscribing, you are simply adding yourself to the mailing list.

To conclude this post, before going to bed, Bambi will end with one of Patrick’s YouTube excellent videos, entitled “Your Way to Better Sleep“. From it, she learned about the impact of stretching on the quality of sleep. “Mabrouk” and long live Mr. Patrick Georgevitch’s Substack platform. May he keep the momentum of excellence. May you all enjoy self-care!

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Health Matters: Bambi’s chat with Pat [or Mr. Patrick Georgevitch]

It’s only been a week since Bambi arrived in Beirut. Thus far, she either re-connected with or met amazing new people. One of the latter are two most amazing and highly competent nurses, including the inspiring and multi-talented Mr. Khodor Ahmadieh.

Highly professional yet approachable, chatting with Mr. Ahmadieh has been enriching for Bambi at many levels. Indeed, she appreciates his character as well as his devotion to nursing care, humanity, critical thinking, spirituality, creativity, and artistic talent. His wisdom, philosophy of life, and drive are contagious. It is both reassuring and refreshing to witness firsthand his highly competent, professional, and uplifting care for his patients, colleagues, family, nephews/nieces, friends, and fellow community members.

At the creative level, despite his highly busy workload at the emergency room (ER), he takes the time to bring smiles to his peers and eventually social media followers. If you are interested, you can watch three of his public short videos. He has an impressive number of online followers who appreciate him as much as those who are lucky to also know him offline. How could they not to when he is filled with both authenticity and humanity? Of note, the last video you will see shows him acting in a Lebanese movie, Bride of Beirut [“Arouss Beirut”], shot in Turkey. Wow, bravo!

In addition to the artistic side above, Mr. Ahmadieh is gifted in cooking, bravo too and mmm! He is also skilled in food inspection and safety. Furthermore, he is knowledgeable in history of religions and surely in his own spirituality in the most inspiring ways (this would deserve a post in itself). Regardless of any particular talent, it is Bambi’s hope that he will keep his drive alive. With the latter, may he remain true to himself, grounded in his own sense of self while being connected to others and to the universe in uplifting ways.

To come back to his nursing core values, Mr. Ahmadieh has high works ethics. Above all, he is gifted in honouring patient dignity and treating them with kindness, along with a remarkable competence. There is a reason why everyone appreciates and loves him, including Bambi’s dad. May he keep hanging on to his beautiful values and congruent decision-making in his professional as well as personal life. Lebanon, and by extension the entire world, needs both emotionally and spiritually intelligent young people like him.

Indeed, it is precisely those human qualities described above, that made him rush, within minutes only, from his village in the mountains to Beirut where the tragedy of August 4, 2020 took place. He made it to the capital to offer his assistance. Even if his residence is geographically far from the capital (by the standards of Lebanon, not Canada), the sound of the explosion was heard in his village. Indeed, it was extremely scary to the point of thinking that the blast occurred at his neighbour’s place.

Upon reaching Beirut, just like in horror movies with apocalyptic scenes, he saw a chaotic level of destruction to the point that he had to leave his car far away from his destination. He rushed walking on his feet and finally made it to the hospital where he used to work back then. What did he see upon his arrival and what happened next, you may wonder dear readers? We will hear his story, with his own words, in the following paragraphs. Please stay tuned until then end of this post.

Along with three other hospitals, the institution in question was totally destroyed. The 300+ inpatients had to be evacuated it safely ASAP in the total darkness due to the loss of power. At first, no one knew exactly what was happening until they heard about the detonation of an estimated 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate, stored for six years at the nearby port without safety measures.

As a reminder, the Beirut surreal explosion resulted in more than 220+ deaths. There were also 7500 injuries, 300, 000 homeless people, 150+ permanent disabilities, over 3/4 of massive destruction of Lebanon’s capital, destruction of 4 hospitals as reported above, and US$15, 000, 000, 000 worth of damage.

During their spontaneous chat about the Beirut blast, among other emotionally charged topics like the latest war, Bambi was touched by Mr. Ahmadieh’s insights filled with humanity. She was very impressed by the story of the highly organised hospital evacuation. Of course, she immediately invited him to be interviewed by her for her blog. Being a generous soul with an open mind, he accepted her invitation on the spot. Gratefully, Bambi will now share with you the verbatim of their conversation. She hopes you will learn something deep about human nature from it, like she did.

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Good morning, Mr. Ahmadieh. Bambi is honoured to chat with you about the collective trauma of the 4th of August, 2020, namely the evacuation process of the hospital where you used to work. Many thanks for opening your heart to this blog’s readers.

“Good morning Ms. Bambi,

Thank you so much for this space to share my story. It’s not easy to put these memories into words, but I believe speaking from the heart helps us connect as human beings. I hope my answers not only paint a picture of what happened but also honor the lives touched, the pain felt, and the resilience born that day“.

1. It is Bambi’s understanding that on the 4th of August, 2020, you were not on duty. What can you tell us about where you were when the blast occurred? And how did you live this moment in terms of thoughts, emotions, actions?

“I was at home, in my room, resting after lunch, when the world seemed to shake beneath me. I jolted awake, confused — the kind of confusion that sinks deep in your chest before your mind even understands. At first, I thought it was something local, maybe a small accident. But as the noise reached me, as the fear crept in, I realized something terrible had happened.

When I saw the message about my bleeding colleague, my heart squeezed in panic. I felt a pull — a pull stronger than fear, stronger than logic — a pull to be there, at the hospital, where my hands and heart were needed. I left my worried mother behind and drove, not thinking about my own safety, only feeling the urgency to help”.

2. How would you describe both what you saw and what went on your mind when you reached Beirut and eventually your place of work?

“Driving into Beirut was like driving into a nightmare. Destruction everywhere. Buildings gutted, streets shattered, people crying and bleeding, desperately seeking help. I remember thinking, Where is the center of this destruction? But it was everywhere.

When I couldn’t drive any further, I ran. I ran over glass, over blood, hearing screams, seeing faces twisted in pain. And yet inside, I felt numb — like my body had entered survival mode, suppressing the terror, just focusing on getting to the hospital, where I could do something, anything, to help”.

3. Please tell us about the evacuation process, describing the plan, conditions, challenges, etc.?

“Inside the dark hospital, we climbed up to the ninth floor, guided only by flashlights, stepping over collapsed ceilings, broken walls, and shattered equipment. The smell of blood was everywhere, the air thick with dust and grief.

We carried patients down the stairs on bed sheets, arms burning, pockets stuffed with medical supplies. It was a race against time, but also a battle against heartbreak — because every floor held more devastation, every face we passed reflected fear or pain or, worse, lifelessness.

The ICU patients were the hardest to move, attached to life-saving machines, fragile in every breath. We had to wait for the Civil Defense to extract them through windows — it was agony, knowing we couldn’t help them as fast as we wanted“.

4. What were some of the unforgettable moments of the evacuation process?

“There’s one image I will never erase from my mind: a body, sitting quietly against the wall, as if peacefully resting — but gone.

And the cruellest moments were when we ran to someone, thinking we could save them, only to realize it was too late. I had to force myself to look away, to silence the part of my heart that wanted to mourn, and focus instead on those still clinging to life.

But even in the darkness, there were small, shining moments — strangers helping strangers, colleagues holding each other up, a quiet understanding that we were all in this together, doing the impossible, side by side”.

5. Were there any lessons learned from the hospital evacuation process?

 “I learned that no matter how prepared you think you are, disaster tests you in ways you never imagined. But I also learned that teamwork, clear communication, and a shared sense of purpose can turn chaos into action.

And perhaps the hardest lesson: you can’t save everyone. As painful as it is, you have to let go of what’s beyond your control, and pour your strength into where you can make a difference. That is the harsh, heartbreaking truth of crisis work”.

6. What can you tell us about your ways of coping with the challenging conditions that stemmed from the Beirut explosion, on that day and later?

“For a long time, I carried guilt — a deep, gnawing guilt, even though I knew rationally it wasn’t my fault. I kept replaying the night in my head, wondering if I should have done more, been faster, been stronger.

What helped was speaking with my colleagues, realizing I wasn’t alone in my pain. We held each other up, shared our grief, and slowly, together, began to heal. I also found solace in quiet moments — in prayer, in reflection, in allowing myself to cry when I needed to. Healing doesn’t come all at once; it comes in small, fragile steps, and I’m still walking that path”.

7. How did the Beirut explosion impact you (yourself, your life, and/or work)?

“It changed everything. It deepened my understanding of human fragility — and human resilience. It made me cherish my family more, hold my loved ones closer, and never take a single day for granted.

In my work, it sharpened my sense of purpose. Every patient I touch, every life I encounter, I now approach with even more tenderness, knowing how suddenly it all can slip away.

And inside myself, I carry both a scar and a flame: a scar from the pain, but a flame of determination, to keep serving, to keep loving, to keep living fully despite the sorrow”.

8. If you had the chance to end our chat with a few words specifically meant to the readers of the Bambi’s Afkar blog who may have not had the chance to visit Beirut (yet), what would you tell them about the Lebanese capital and/or your country’s people? 

“To those who have never been to Beirut: know this — Beirut is a city of fire and flowers, of scars and smiles, of heartbreak and hope.

We are a people who have suffered, yes, but we are also a people who rise, again and again, who open our arms to strangers, who dance at weddings even when our hearts are heavy, who share our last piece of bread with a guest.

Come see us not just for the history or the landmarks, but for the soul — the soul that refuses to break, the soul that welcomes you like family, the soul that keeps singing even when the world crumbles”.

“Thank you, Ms. Bambi, for giving me the space to speak from my heart. May we all remember: even in the darkest night, the human spirit can shine”.

Bambi is speechless. Thank you for your time, for the inspiration, and for being who you are, Mr. Ahmadieh or dear Khodor. What a beautiful soul. Please keep on serving and healing the world with your uplifting compassion and inspiring care. Take good care, please. May God bless and always protect you, along with your loved ones.

What goes on in the mind of Beirut’s lovely stray cats?

They seem to be as welcoming, resourceful, and resilient, as their fellow human Beirutis.

Like them, they seem to enjoy the present moment to its fullest, especially when they know how uncertain or adverse the past and, may God forbid, future days can be.

Long live the stray cats and may Beirut’s days be more peaceful!

Did you know that today is both Brother’s Day (https://tinyurl.com/27jfxtsh) and the National Escargot Day (https://tinyurl.com/4rsd99h2)? What’s the link between both one might wonder? Apparently, none. However, if we take the time to think about it, perhaps we can find a relationship between snails and brothers.

Indeed, and in general, we can learn from snails (or escargots) how to wisely take the time to get to know someone. Taking things slow might perhaps lead to finding in the other person a brother while investing in the relationship, slowly but surely, as a mutual brotherhood. This slower process can foster a deeper, and ideally, stronger connection.

Of note, and by extension, this slowness can be protective, especially in cases where the new encounter is not genuine or manipulative. We thus remain grounded in reality, remembering whom we are, even when we deeply fall in romantic love, in non-romantic friendship, or in a true brotherhood.

Stated differently, emotional wisdom is good for our well-being, whether the rewarding relationship is with a best friend, a relative, or a romantic partner. A sense of true brotherhood can be born out of our shared connection and deeper relation.

So, long live the snails you may enjoy eating and all the brothers in your lives. Thankfully, Bambi happens to love eating escargots while being blessed to have many true brothers she can count on for connection, support, as well as fun moments. This includes brother-in-laws, friends like brothers, and all the good men in her life, starting with her adorable dad.

It is Bambi’s hope that you can think of at least one “brother” in your life who, of course, does not have to be born from your own mother. If you can identify at least one you can count on, you would be lucky too, dear readers. Trust that Bambi would be happy for you.

Mind you, regardless of the quality of human relationships, if we want to have a brother, we can star taking baby steps toward becoming a brother to someone else.