Today, I’ve made final preparations for my first-ever trip to Bosnia. I am both nervous and excited as this isn’t a holiday that I’m going on but part of a charity mission. I hope these kind of trips will be more frequent in time to come – as long as my health, time and money allow, inshaAllah.
I plan to keep a journal of sorts whilst I’m out there even if I record some voice notes and take some photos to accompany them. My plan is to write up my notes once back home.
For years, this period of my life is one I’ve been silently waiting for. Not that I was wishing my previous years away. No. However, I can finally say that my sons are old enough to take care of themselves and I can leave them knowing that they can -and will- take care of the house and one another, inshaAllah. I feel as if I’ve experienced a rebirth and am at the beginning of a new chapter. It is not just about looking forward with anticipation for what I hope to see my sons achieve in their individual lives but just as much as what I want to achieve for myself.
Yesterday, my son asked me to share where I expect to see him in the trajectory of his life in five years. After I had answered, I asked him the same of me. It was my way of making him realise that I too have goals and aspirations still (not that he doesn’t know that already). But as much as the focus should be on the younger generation, we older ones shouldn’t be dismissed as having achieved everything we could ever have wanted given our ages.
But back to today/tomorrow…
Although I am about to embark on this trip, I am not naive to think my efforts will bring earth-shatteringly unprecedented changes to those whom I am intending to help. But, I can’t be negative about it either else we should all just be apathetic and say that helping in this way makes little difference. If I didn’t believe this mission was worthwhile, I’d never have signed up. The trip is just as much about sending a message to those around me to raise awareness of the need to do more; that every one has their part to play in ameliorating the condition of others in however modest or grandiose a way they can.
Apathy simply will not do.
I hope I will return to this blog to report on my discoveries out in Bosnia. I’m sure there will be highs and lows but I am also sure it will be a reaffirmation that this kind of work is where I see myself being more involved in time to come.
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