I’m finished with the first day of my trip. It was a loooong day. The last time I got some sleep in a bed was 56 hours ago. It’s more than 24 hours since leaving, but still feels like one day.
Before our trip, I excitedly told a bunch of colleagues and friends that I was going on vacation to India with the family and my in-laws. I kept having to immediately respond to the quizzical look saying ,”my in-laws are awesome”. They are and I super appreciate that even more knowing how scarily typical that people don’t seem to like their in-laws much. Alhamdolillah. I lucked out getting some awesome ones.
I also said I wasn’t looking forward to the long flight. That was really nice too though. I actually got to sit next to Zahra. On planes now a days we typically have a kid or an aisle or both between us. I watched a bunch of movies I really like and just sat and relaxed a bunch.
We finally reached and it was so familiar. It was wonderful. We had someone waiting to pick us up and someone wonderful that opened their home to us. Again. I was talking with her and realized I’ve gotten to stay with her 4 times.
It was great trying to see India through the kids eyes. They looked out the windows and we peppered them with questions about what they saw. The city is truly massive. In the same view, we saw multicolored, beautiful slums that were on the water near probably many million dollar homes with similar views.
We reached early Sunday morning and there were already lots of people exercising, selling stuff, pulling carts, driving rickshaws, and just going about their lives.
I can already tell this will be a highlight of this trip. We got to do ziyarat of two Moulas. To say it’s a busy area is an understatement. There’s a mass of people and a cacophony of sounds. Inside the roza, however, it’s totally peaceful. I have been so caught up with life lately. This was the spiritual experience I needed and didn’t even know. I came with all these thoughts of things I would do dua for. When I was there I realized I don’t want to do dua to be whatever or have whatever or for my health to be whatever. I wanted to do dua for being happier with what I have instead of thinking about what I don’t have.
Taher, don’t ever forget that feeling you had today. It’s the same one you had right after moving into your forever house. “I already have all I ever need”
Later I got to hang out with Zahra and the kids all day which was awesome. I had a conversation with Yusuf that made me so proud. It was him asking questions about the kaamwalas. He thought it was so weird that people would be servants to other people. He understood that some people have whatever and some people don’t. I could tell his thought process from the questions he was asking and the way he was asking “why would someone be subservient? why...” My response was often. “Yup. It’s weird”. I love that his instinct was to think it doesn’t matter what people have and all people are fundamentally the same. I’m so certain he’s going to continue to get even more empathetic and be an even better human.
Taher, people are people. Learn from the wise soon-to-be 12 year old.
Before our trip, I excitedly told a bunch of colleagues and friends that I was going on vacation to India with the family and my in-laws. I kept having to immediately respond to the quizzical look saying ,”my in-laws are awesome”. They are and I super appreciate that even more knowing how scarily typical that people don’t seem to like their in-laws much. Alhamdolillah. I lucked out getting some awesome ones.
I also said I wasn’t looking forward to the long flight. That was really nice too though. I actually got to sit next to Zahra. On planes now a days we typically have a kid or an aisle or both between us. I watched a bunch of movies I really like and just sat and relaxed a bunch.
We finally reached and it was so familiar. It was wonderful. We had someone waiting to pick us up and someone wonderful that opened their home to us. Again. I was talking with her and realized I’ve gotten to stay with her 4 times.
It was great trying to see India through the kids eyes. They looked out the windows and we peppered them with questions about what they saw. The city is truly massive. In the same view, we saw multicolored, beautiful slums that were on the water near probably many million dollar homes with similar views.
We reached early Sunday morning and there were already lots of people exercising, selling stuff, pulling carts, driving rickshaws, and just going about their lives.
I can already tell this will be a highlight of this trip. We got to do ziyarat of two Moulas. To say it’s a busy area is an understatement. There’s a mass of people and a cacophony of sounds. Inside the roza, however, it’s totally peaceful. I have been so caught up with life lately. This was the spiritual experience I needed and didn’t even know. I came with all these thoughts of things I would do dua for. When I was there I realized I don’t want to do dua to be whatever or have whatever or for my health to be whatever. I wanted to do dua for being happier with what I have instead of thinking about what I don’t have.
Taher, don’t ever forget that feeling you had today. It’s the same one you had right after moving into your forever house. “I already have all I ever need”
Later I got to hang out with Zahra and the kids all day which was awesome. I had a conversation with Yusuf that made me so proud. It was him asking questions about the kaamwalas. He thought it was so weird that people would be servants to other people. He understood that some people have whatever and some people don’t. I could tell his thought process from the questions he was asking and the way he was asking “why would someone be subservient? why...” My response was often. “Yup. It’s weird”. I love that his instinct was to think it doesn’t matter what people have and all people are fundamentally the same. I’m so certain he’s going to continue to get even more empathetic and be an even better human.
Taher, people are people. Learn from the wise soon-to-be 12 year old.
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