On Siesta
Plus, a delated Weekly Wrap
Howdy,
I’m exhausted: mentally, physically, and emotionally. Over the last week, I’ve been on the road. I grabbed my remaining gear in KC and hauled it cross country on Thanksgiving weekend to my new home in Forney, Texas.
I got lost on some back country roads in Oklahoma. The traffic in Oklahoma City and Dallas was atrocious. Some of the hotels had a lot to be desired. I believe my Thanksgiving dinner consisted of a granola bar and some beef sticks.
Nevertheless, I made it to the storage unit and unloaded my haul. Over the course of December, I will be moving my entire life to a new city. It’s not a big place, but it’s brimming with business opportunities. While writing is always going to be part of what I do, there are more profitable money making ventures in my horizon (more of that in future posts).
I’m excited about the future. It’s a new chapter in my life. New beginnings and all those bromides. My goal is to be in my house by the end of December, and hopefully squared away by January. It will require a lot of work.
With all that in mind, I’m going to take a little break from writing. I need a long vacation to reflect. We’ll still be posting occasionally from other writers, but not from me. I’ll be back in the New Year and we will still be making podcasts for Season 2 of Shoulder to Shoulder and Voices of the Resistance.
However, I need to rest. I also need to heal. Honestly, that’s a long life endeavor, but the every day grind of writing is exhausting. And I need some time to finish my memoirs, stand-up a non-profit, and really focus on creating another business venture.
GCV is a passion project. But it’s a marathon. It’s not a sprint. So I’m going to scale back. Don’t worry, we’re still committed to our journey. It’ll just be a bit different in 2025.
In the meantime, I’m going to focus on myself. Getting healthy. Hopefully, finally getting into a VA. For the first time in my life, I’m going to have a home of my own. I can set it up any way I want and learn how to relax.
People often tell me to relax. It’s a common thing. I always chuckle inside, because for most people that’s an easy thing. However, I’ve been sprinting non-stop, working 12 hour days for nearly 20 years. So, I just can’t “relax” like everyone else. It will take probably a decade to be able to relax like most Americans.
When you’ve been hunting other humans and also been hunted by other humans, learning to relax isn’t as easy as one imagines.
However, the first step is taking a very long siesta. I’ve been tinkering around with new year’s resolutions. So here are the two that I have so far:
You’re retired; act like it.
Focus on yourself
That’s it.
Short, sweet, and simple. Accordingly, I’m going to take a long overdue knee from writing on GCV. My goal is to not post until January. I plan on keeping that pledge.
Our team will get some new writers to post intermittently throughout the month. And if something big happens, then we might say a few words, but we’re going to take this time to re-arm, re-fit, and come out ready in 2025.
The Weekly Wrap
Free Content
We published a new section, “Shir’s Poetry Corner” this week. I hope you take a chance to read it. I believe Shir speak 5 languages. Insane.
returned to plug her sister’s new website: hercraft.art.Through our aunt, Zuhal, Taiba reached out to Afghan girls and encouraged them to create beautiful crafts with their hands, made entirely from scratch. They send these items to her, and she sells them at events, making sure to pay every single girl who contributed, as well as my aunt and me (because I go with her to the events and help out:). My dad loved her idea and helped her think of a name for the business. After brainstorming, he suggested a name my sister absolutely loved: HERCRAFT!
My dear friend,
, stopped by the studio and talked about Iran, Afghanistan, Israel and even Ukraine! This was the last episode for the season. However, Voices of the Resistance will now be it’s on stand alone podcast. It’s simply easier for us to bring on guests on that show than Stories from My Brothers. We will still record SFMB, but mostly as a long term, intermittent project.
I wrote a short note to all of you fine people on Thanksgiving.
Nevertheless, despite some setbacks and tragedies, I’m grateful for all we—Zmoong Andiwalaan (our people)—have accomplished.
It’s important to list them all out:
We successfully provided part-time employment for 5 Afghan refugees.
We regularly publish articles from multiple Afghan girls and even helped one get to the United States.
We successfully relocated approximately 50 Afghans this past year.
and I will attend a ceremony at the Department of State for our efforts to uphold our promises to our Afghan allies.
is going to join the United States Air Force, inshallah.
Our work has been recognized by USA Today and the Associated Press.
We now have 1300+ free subscribers and 150 paid subscribers. Nearly 11.5% of our subscribers are paid, a very high conversion rate, considering most of our articles are free. Moreover, over the last month, nearly a 25% of our new subscribers have been paid.
We’ve had multiple Afghan brothers and sisters receive their green cards!
We’ve interviewed Gold Star mothers, Vietnam veterans, and Afghan generals on our podcasts.
We’ve become a community.
I hope you had a lot of turkey!
Paid Content
I provided another update on the terrorism threat levels, on The Terrorism Chronicles.
On 8 October, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force detained Anas Said outside of his apartment in Houston, Texas, following a seven-year investigation. Said, who was born in Houston, TX, in 1996, was planning to conduct a “9-11 style” attack on the United States. If Said is found guilty, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison and a hefty fine.
According to CNN reporting, the FBI started investigating Said in 2017 after he ordered some ISIS schwag (I hear their stickers are so legit). Said reportedly told agents that he started “believing” ISIS propaganda in 2015, following his trip to his family’s home of origin, Lebanon, in 2014. However, in follow-up “interviews,” Said told agents he was no longer an ISIS ideologue. According to court documents, in 2023, Meta (AKA, Facebook) tipped off the FBI to some suspicious Facebook accounts.
Other Publications
Bruh, I went on the legendary John Batchelor Show.
Our Friends
As always,
has another hilarious essay and this is absolutely on point.Honestly, it all makes me want to be Jewish. But the kind that does absolutely nothing related to Christmas. I hear Hanukah is much less work. I hear there’s Chinese takeout involved.
The rumors are accurate,
.
I usually don’t plug for The Atlantic. But Eliot Cohen's recent essay was the perfect encapsulation for my politics in the upcoming Trump 2.0 presidency.
True liberals are short-term pessimists, because they understand the dark side of human nature, but long-run optimists about human potential, which is why they believe in freedom. At this troubled moment, we should neither run from the public square nor chant jeremiads while shaking our fists at the heavens. We need to be the anti-hysterics, the unflappable skeptics, the persistent advocates for the best of the old values and practices in new conditions. We need to persistently make our case.
Kate K
is one of the reasons I’m still standing. She’s my BFF for a reason. This Thanksgiving was a bit lonely for me, but having in my life as a friend, business partner, and lawyer (I need one), is a true blessing. I hope everyone enjoyed your Thanksgiving weekend. And be kind to one another during December.
Until Next Time in January
I wish you all the best and hope your siesta brings you some well-deserved peaceful time with your family.
I could never imagine being in combat, and I am profoundly grateful for your insight on the struggles of veterans. As you have shared your story, and the stories of so many others who have made similar sacrifices, I have been humbled by the bravery and integrity displayed by so many people I will never know.
People like you make the world a better place and I have no doubt you have changed many lives for the better.
Thank you and may God bless you.
Please take as long as you need to recharge. You've experienced a lot, and not just from your military career and its aftermath.
The grief that comes from ending a marriage and knowing your child will not be sleeping under the same roof with you every night hard. I speak from experience -- it tore me up.
Perhaps the only thing I've learned from my life difficulties is that healing comes from going through the pain, not avoiding it. And finding something or things to care about and living a life that shows it.