I woke up to a messier-than-normal house this morning. The snacks I'd packed for the one still at school were eaten at night by the others who are done with exams.
Exam-time is madness: juggling different pick-up times while providing a steady supply of study snacks, turning exam complaints into teachable moments about trusting Allah, all while mentally conducting the annual stock-take-of-life (please tell me I'm not the only one).
At one point, I thought, "Bugger it all, I'm running away" (I'm quite mature like that). But instead of running away, I sat down and scribbled here. Thanks for listening.
Recycling properly is harder than tossing everything into one bin.
Repurposing what you already have is harder than buying new.
Finding a charity organisation that takes what you're getting rid of is harder than binning it and letting someone else sort it.
Eating healthily is harder than grabbing a packet of crisps.
Cooking at home is harder than ordering.
Packing school lunches is harder than giving tuck-shop money.
Baking a cake with real eggs and responsibly-sourced ingredients is harder than buying a bakery version made with powders and all.
Losing weight the healthy way is harder than taking Ozempic.
Moving is harder than sitting.
Staying honest even when you're at a loss is harder than cheating or lying.
Earning money the halaal way is harder than the haraam way.
Refusing to lie or manipulate is harder than selling inferior products to unsuspecting customers.
Writing anything yourself is harder than letting AI spit it out for you.
Reading Quraan is harder than scrolling on your phone.
Waking up for Tahajjud is harder than staying in bed.
Making it to the masjid is harder than reading at home or not at all.
Sorting is harder than dumping into drawers.
Organising is harder than letting piles grow.
Calling a friend to apologise is harder than avoiding her.
Setting boundaries is harder than people-pleasing.
Holding your tongue is harder than snapping.
Listening to the other side of the story is harder than making assumptions.
Being a present parent is harder than handing out devices.
Showing up for your marriage is harder than withdrawing into resentment.
Having difficult conversations is harder than pretending you're fine.
Doing it yourself is harder than outsourcing.
Staying to fix a mess is harder than running away.
Because depositing into an invisible account for Aakhirah is harder than watching your time investment pay off in dunya.