FAREWELL RAMADAN - SAD TO SEE YOU LEAVE

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As we enter the last day of Ramadan, I look back at the month that has gone by with nostalgia. Colleagues and friends from other faiths often remark on how it must be a relief to finally get back to eating. Quite the contrary.  Relief is the last thing on my mind. I look back at some of the lessons I learned during the past 30 days.  Feel free to add any additional ones in comments section. 
1) Ramadan taught me GRATITUDE. Indulging in the little luxuries of life – the morning tea, the 12 pm lunch, the afternoon latte - these comforts we take for granted are enormous blessings that we will be asked about. Do we appreciate what we have? Or do we look up to those that have more and constantly grump and complain?   
2) Ramadan taught me EMPATHY. When I felt the pangs of hunger at lunch, or had parched lips late in the day, I could look forward to a nice meal to partake in at sunset. There are many thousands, nay millions, of people across the world who do not know where their next meal is going to come from. Many millions who do not have a roof to shelter them. Many millions without proper health care. Many millions without access to schools. The list goes on. 
3) Ramadan taught me PATIENCE. There are times you don’t get what you wish for.  That’s alright.  That’s part and parcel of life. I was able to taste the sweetness of patience, quite literally. 
4) Ramadan taught me how to ORGANIZE my life. Fasting for 17 hours during the day, attending congregational prayers at night, keeping up with the demands of work and family, and somehow squeezing in 5-6 hours of sleep – if you organize your time wisely, you can actually achieve way more than you ever imagined you could. 
All of these are supposed to be life-long lessons, but in a life full of distractions, addictions, and constant glamour, they're forgotten quite fast. 
And so with mixed feelings, I say farewell to Ramadan, and I look forward to celebrating Eid this Friday.  While smiling and enjoying Eid with friends and family, deep down inside, I will be counting days until May 5, 2019, anxiously waiting for Ramadan to come again next year.
To remind us of those lessons …
To give us another jolt …
To wake us up from our slumber that is life. 
Until then,
EID MUBARAK TO ALL!
May the coming year bring great blessings to everyone and their families all across the world.  

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