I stopped watching the news in 2008, during Operation Cast Lead. My daughter was studying in Beer Sheva, Israel, and I was on the phone with her when a rocket landed very close to her dorm. It traumatized me. No mother wants their child in the line of rockets.
At that time the Iron Dome, which Israel is now using so successfully against Hamas rockets, did not exist. So when I watched the news, I would over and over again see rockets fired. See people running for cover. And then see the horrors of war for the people trapped in Gaza. I was immobilized by the endless stories repeating over and over again.
My husband and son said, “TURN IT OFF!”
And I did.
I started watching HGTV. No one ever dies in “House Hunters.” No one is ever hurt in “Curb Appeal.” The biggest issue in “Devine Design” is whether the family will like the new room, and they always do. Sometimes the twin brothers argue. And on “Property Virgins,” the home searchers are not always realistic. While in “Income Property”, the home owners always make out really well with both new income and increased property value.
So I became an HGTV addict.
I learned so much. I realized that some of the remodeling I did in my own home could have been a bit better. I should have put heated floors in my bathroom when I had the carpet pulled out and the tile put in. In the basement, I should have put a subfloor in. But I still like what I have done.
This is the wall I painted before the accent color.
And here is my accent wall with color!
I learned about accent wall colors. And even painted my front hall one weekend to address the need for a vibrant accent color in my house.
From Curb Appeal, I found out that we have done a great job making our house attractive from the street. I guess I already knew that because so many people stop me when they see me outside to compliment my gardens.
However, sometimes HGTV cannot keep me away from the news.
I have been drawn in to the news again the past two weeks. But the past two days have been especially bad. Not only is Israel now involved in a ground offensive in Gaza to destroy tunnels, but a Malaysian airplane, a 777, was shot down from the sky killing almost 300 innocent people.
I have watched the same reports over and over again. That endless news cycle is a killer for emotional stability.
Last night I was crocheting and watching CNN. Which lead to me eating brownies and watching. When finally I told myself, STOP!!!
I went to directly to HGTV…Wow a family looking for a place to live in Barcelona on House Hunters International. I really want to travel there. I have not been to Spain. They chose the place I liked. So I was happy. No stress. Sometimes, I do disagree with the choice a family makes, but that is okay.
Friends have been asking me, “How are you doing?” Knowing that my daughter is in Israel. Even my brother said, “Well, this time you really have something to be anxious about.”
To all of them I say, “On HGTV, everything is just fine.”
zicharonot 
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