Travel Light

The only luggage we need to take with us as we exit this world is a stack of good deeds. Everything else is superfluous. That’s why I no longer aspire to update my material wealth. I no longer covet the next best version of my phone or car. I have reconciled myself to aspiring toContinue reading “Travel Light”

Targets vs Time

Sometimes, as an individual, we are a bag of inner contradictions. I am no exception. I’ve been talking lately about the things I want to achieve – both short-term and long-term – and then I question myself about what steps I’ve made to achieve them. Then again, I think, “Actually, I have made a promisingContinue reading “Targets vs Time”

To Give is To Receive

Instead of waiting for someone else to bring joy to my life, I’ve learnt that I can bring joy to my life all by myself. Sounds a little conceited, I know. However, the formula is far from one which is steeped in arrogance and self-acclaim. I have been around long enough in this world toContinue reading “To Give is To Receive”

A Work in Progress

As I settle into my daytime job, I realise that one of the things I relish most in life is meeting and existing alongside people. Of course, not just random or irrelevant people but in a context where I am building relationships with others who are, more often than not, so different from me. IContinue reading “A Work in Progress”

Celebrating Life

Yesterday was my birthday. Unlike many people, especially the young generation, who would like to mark the day with parties and presents, I chose to keep it much more subdued. Instead, my sons and I had a day out in central London walking through different parks and then enjoyed a lovely Lebanese meal in oneContinue reading “Celebrating Life”

Motherhood: Part 3

As my youngest son prepares to sit his final exams at school next week, I prepare to enter a new phase of motherhood. No more parent meetings, no more emails from school, no more direct involvement in his education. It is a watershed moment in my life. I welcome it with open arms. The questionContinue reading “Motherhood: Part 3”

The Denim Jacket

So what’s the big deal about a jacket? It’s only an item of clothing. Perhaps so but, for me, purchasing this addition to my wardrobe had a far greater significance than for most other people. Growing up, through my teens and beyond, the denim jacket was perceived as a symbol of rebellion. Whether this wasContinue reading “The Denim Jacket”

A Successful Son

We all have different perceptions of what a successful son might look like. For some, it’s about having raised a young man to stand on his own two feet financially. For others, it’s about academic achievements and yet, for the rest, it may be about neither of those things necessarily but more about good characterContinue reading “A Successful Son”

Fight or Fight

No, this time it’s not a typo…although my writings are filled with them. Today, I am reflecting on several things at once but the one thing that dominates my mind is a message for women who, like me, are facing life alone at the head of a household. We don’t have the option to flyContinue reading “Fight or Fight”

The Completeness of Being Incomplete

My musings today are another iteration of things I have mentioned on numerous occasions before. Yet, given we have just celebrated Eid ul-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, it seem an appropriate time to share my thoughts again. Yesterday, my sons and I spent the day with extended family and had a memorable timeContinue reading “The Completeness of Being Incomplete”