Another day

I heard this Beatles’ song as I was working out this morning. The lyrics were very sad at first...

“

Every day she takes a morning bath she wets her hair
Wraps a towel around her as she's heading for the bedroom chair
It's just another day
Slipping into stockings, stepping into shoes
Dipping in the pocket of her raincoat
It's just another day
At the office where the papers grow she takes a break
Drinks another coffe and she finds it hard to stay awake
It's just another day

Do do do do do do, it's just another day
Do do do do do do, it's just another day

So sad, so sad
Sometimes she feels so sad

“

Then I realized another day is awesome. It’s another opportunity. As pedestrian as this sounds, another day is another chance to be better than yesterday. The Beatles have some of the best lyrics, even when they’re totally misinterpreted 😄

Taher, you’ve got another day. 

Path

Our TV has a screensaver and I saw a picture of myself from years ago.  I remember how happy and full of shukur I was.  I also remember realizing how much shukur I wasn't doing being around some people with incredible attitudes of the time they got to do qadambosi.

This situation is so....I'm sitting here thinking about all the ways to finish that sentence.  There's so much going on and Alhamdolillah we're all healthy.  We've managed to incorporate a bunch of positive habits that just make us feel good.  We spend more time together now.  We eat together.  We don't simply eat at the same time; we eat together in the taal.  We listen to each other more.  And like normal people we sometimes lose our patience, but then we remember why we're feeling the way we are and it just seems stupid especially considering what many are dealing with.  Yesterday we spent an hour raising our collective blood pressure about perler beads!

We do namaz together at home.  And not just at the same time.  Moula gave me raza to do imamat namaz at home.  I didn't think I'd ever do that in my life.

I started writing about the picture that I've seen a thousand times before.  It's a picture of the moment Burhanuddin Moula gave me my Mufhusiyat.  It came up and I stared at it in awe.  I knew it was awesome then.  It felt like I had reached something amazing then.  I had no idea the path it would lead me on and no idea that would lead here.

Taher, do that thing you know is amazing even if you don't know why.  Do it even if it's hard.

Shukur

I was reminded of my brother’s ziyafat years ago. I remember him giving two teenage girls a pass to do qadambosi. It was the first chance they had in their lives and they lived in a place Moula is often. I was there with my 1 and 3 year old to do qadambosi that I thought to be a foregone conclusion. They were so so so happy and reacted in a way I vividly remember to this unexpected opportunity. They were overjoyed. It was so meaningful. It made me re-think my shukur for getting to be with Moula in Misr. I thought Alhamdolillah, but I imagine it was just a fraction of what these girls felt. There is more shukur to do. 

Giant Tiger

The title of this post probably isn't apt or good.  I don't really even know what I want to write about.  

I do know I want to write something.  I am feeling so many things -shukur, frustration, and boredom just to name a few.  I hope that things return to some kind of normal soon.  

I am going to miss the interactions with people that require being close to them.  I'm going to miss asking someone how they're doing and being closer with my body language signaling that I am really asking and want more than a "I am doing fine" in response.  I'm going to miss listening attentively to someone from just a foot away and them seeing I'm really listening.  It's going to be replaced with something, but I don't know what.  It's going to be different for sure.

I hope that when we come out of this people will appreciate more that everyone has something going on.  I've been on so many calls with colleagues where there is less of a formality or barrier. Everyone has a kid or pet or something else in the background.  Everything is just a bit more personal and casual even though we're physically further apart.  I hope the glimpse will result in people being a little more empathetic and a little kinder.

I'm looking forward to one day being old and telling a grandkid, "Back in 2020 when we were sheltering in place..." and being met with an eyeroll.

This is all very ambling.  Taher, it's like were living on a sleeping giant tiger.  Every once in a while the giant moves or wakes up.