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🧭 Here’s what’s in today’s issue:
• 🧠 Trivia Challenge: Spotlight Hook
• 💪 Wellness Tip: If I Could Go Back to My 30s, I'd Tell Myself These 3 Things
• ⚠️ Health Alert: Five Food Safety Alerts Consumers Should Know This Week
• 😄 Meme of the Day – Just for laughs
• ❤️ Communities need strong connections: Show Your Support
• 📅 Events: Upcoming Events (Top Picks)
👉 Browse the highlights. Click your favorites.
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Question: Lepidopterophobia is the fear of what?
(Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.)
Parents across the Triangle often wonder how their teens can build meaningful leadership experience that truly stands out when applying to college.
An upcoming Hum Sub Youth Leadership Summit in Cary is designed to help students begin exploring those opportunities. The event invites students in Grades 8–11 from across the Triangle to learn about leadership, entrepreneurship, and ways young people can start building experiences that colleges value.
Parents are welcome to attend to learn more about opportunities to help their children prepare for college applications. Coming soon: 2 May 2026.
Are you are local business owner or local non-profit?
CARY SPOTLIGHT: HEALTH & WELLNESS EDITION
These articles in our Cary Spotlight Wellness Wednesday Special Edition are for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle.
Men, You've Been Misinformed
Men's skin is about 25% thicker than women's, but thicker skin doesn't mean better aging. It means delayed collapse. For years, your skin looks resilient. Then collagen declines, and when it does, it drops hard: deeper wrinkles, heavier under-eye bags, more dark spots showing up all at once.
Most men were never taught to get ahead of this. Women were. And by the time the signs show up, you're playing catch-up.
Particle Face Cream was built precisely for this. One 6-in-1 formula engineered for men's skin — reduces eye bags, dark spots, and wrinkles, restores firmness, hydrates deeply, and revives dull tone. No complicated routine. Over 1,000,000 men already use it. Try it risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
If I Could Go Back to My 30s, I'd Tell Myself These 3 Things
I had two little ones at home, a husband finishing residency and fellowship, and I was in graduate school full-time.
It was a blur… in the most beautiful and exhausting way possible.
Looking back, I wouldn't change the season. But I would change how I took care of myself inside of it. Because the truth is, I didn't. Not really.
If I could sit down with that version of me: tired, driven, running on love and caffeine.
Here's what I would say:
1. Sleep like it's non-negotiable. Not a reward.
I treated rest like something I had to earn. Finish everything on the list. Take care of everyone else. Then, maybe, sleep.
I had it completely backwards.
Sleep isn't laziness. It isn't a luxury for people with less to do. It is the foundation that makes everything else possible: your mood, your hormones, your focus, your patience with the people you love most.
You don't earn rest. Rest is what makes you capable of everything else.
2. Carve out time for yourself before you feel completely spent.
I waited until I was running on empty to even notice I needed to refuel. By that point, I wasn't just tired. I was depleted. And depleted doesn't refill quickly.
Protecting even small pockets of time for yourself isn't selfish. A ten-minute walk. A quiet cup of coffee before anyone else wakes up. A moment that belongs only to you.
That's not indulgence. That's how you stay whole, for yourself, and for everyone counting on you.
3. Move your body for joy, not just function.
I was a dancer. For years, movement was something I did because it made me feel alive.
And then the chaos of that season swallowed it whole.
I wish I had found even ten minutes to put on music and just move, not to burn calories, not to hit a step count, not to be productive. Just because it felt good. Because my body deserved to feel something other than tired.
Joy is a valid reason to move. It might actually be the best one.
These aren't revolutionary ideas.
Sleep. Space. Joy in your body.
But somewhere between the to-do lists and the responsibilities and the years of putting everyone else first, most of us quietly let all three go.
They are not luxuries. They are the foundation.
And it's never too late to come back to them.
Today’s wellness tip is brought to you by Dr. Estelle Tsalik
Estelle Tsalik is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified Nutrition Coach, and Wellness Consultant based in Cary, NC. As the founder of Living Well with Estelle, she specializes in helping busy midlife women simplify their supplement routines, support their changing bodies, and reclaim their energy through science-backed, practical wellness strategies.
A mother of three, Estelle brings both clinical expertise and real-life perspective to the conversation around midlife health — cutting through the noise so women can stop guessing and start feeling like themselves again.
Her approach is straightforward: no overwhelm, no one-size-fits-all prescriptions — just clear, personalized guidance that fits your life where it is right now.
Just curious…
How are you doing lately?
Five Food Safety Alerts Consumers Should Know This Week
A series of food recalls reported in recent days has affected beverages, dairy products, prepared meals and frozen foods. The highest-risk alert involved Good Brain Tonic, which the FDA said may pose a botulism hazard. The product was distributed nationwide, and consumers were urged not to drink it.
The most significant outbreak investigation remains tied to RAW FARM cheddar cheese. The FDA said nine people in three states were sickened with E. coli O157:H7, with several hospitalizations reported. Certain RAW FARM cheddar products were recalled earlier this month, and federal investigators are still updating the case.
Other recent actions focused on allergy and contamination concerns. Zarlengo gelato products were classified as a Class II recall because soy was not properly declared on the label, creating a risk for people with soy allergies. Costco also recalled a prepared meatloaf and mashed potato meal after a supplier warned that one ingredient could be contaminated with Salmonella.
A separate Class II recall involved Simply Nature Spinach Bites sold at ALDI after possible rodent hair contamination was reported. While not every notice reflects the same level of danger, each serves as a reminder that consumers should check lot details and recall alerts closely when products remain in home refrigerators, freezers or pantries.
How do you typically respond when you hear about a food recall?
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Meme of the Day.
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🎟️ Upcoming Events (Top Picks)
Outdoor events may be changed due to weather, so click the links to see latest event information. Here are a few ideas for the week, so plan ahead:
• Wednesday: Mint Julep Jazz Band 5:45PM
• Wednesday: Graceful Expressions: This Land is Our Land 7PM-8:30PM
• Thursday: Live at Lunch: Ed Kincade 11:30AM-1:30PM
• Thursday: Zumba 6PM-7PM
• Friday: A Starry Night In Candyland: Family Prom 6PM-8PM
• Friday: One Tribe Drum Circle & Fire Show 7PM-8:30PM
• Friday: The Big Blues Show with The Music Maker Foundation 7:30PM-9PM
• Saturday: MEAC Men's Tennis Conference Tournament (All Day)
• Saturday: Cary Farmers Market 8AM-12PM
• Saturday: Cary’s Spring Daze Arts & Crafts Festival! 9AM-5PM
• Saturday: World Tai Chi & Qigong Day 10:30AM-2PM
• Saturday: Town of Apex EarthFest: Sustainable Fashion Show 12PM-4PM
But wait! There’s more. To save space in your inbox, we’ve moved the full list of events online — now you can plan ahead: See Full 2-Week Calendar
The Answer to the Cary Spotlight Hook Trivia Question 👇👇👇
A: Butterflies or moths
Lepidopterophobia is the excessive and irrational fear of butterflies or moths. Derived from the Greek word Lepidoptera (the scientific order for these insects), it is classified as a "specific phobia". While many find butterflies beautiful, individuals with this condition often experience intense anxiety or panic attacks triggered by the insects' unpredictable, fluttering movements or the thought of them touching their skin.
For more information, Lepidopterophobia, the Fear of Butterflies and Moths