Flow of words

It is 250pm and I have decided to write. I came across a writing prompt today that piqued my interest: What would you be willing to wait in a really long line for? My first question is, how long are we talking? One hour? One day? One year? A lifetime? The prompt seems paradoxical to me. The longer I am willing to wait, the more important the thing at the end of the line must be. But if it is truly that important, how could I live without it for so long? If I am willing to wait a lifetime, then perhaps I never really needed it at all. Then there are the practical questions. What am I allowed to do while I wait? How do I pass the time? Eventually I will need to use the bathroom, take a shower, brush my teeth, eat, sleep, and continue living. I cannot simply press pause on life because I am standing in a line. Maybe that is what bothers me most. Standing in a line feels like surrendering a part of my freedom. My path is fixed. My pace is determined by everyone in front of me. I can neithe...

It is 205am and I have decided to write. I was going to write about the proposed AI data centers in Trinidad but I changed my mind. Politics looks different before they want your votes and after they get your votes. Whatever happens, it always seems like the poor man suffers. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The poor continue to carry the heaviest burden. The powerful walk with pomp and ceremony and the powerless walk with their heads down. The people with the most amount of power to make a difference are the least affected by the problems affecting the powerless. Who looks after the plight of the most vulnerable? Who knows it, feels it. Where is the love? Instead of AI data centers we should build "I matter centers". They rhyme and sound the same but serve different purposes. Places where people are heard before they are ignored. Places where problems are met with solutions instead of promises. Places where dignity is restored, not just discussed. People do not o...

It is 1037pm and I have decided to write, even though I should probably be asleep. I will continue tomorrow. One of my favorite things about writing is that I often do not begin with a destination in mind. I simply start, and somehow my thoughts find their own path, often leading me somewhere beautiful—at least in my mind. Today, I am reminded that we are often our own harshest critics. It's so easy to focus on our flaws, but that is not a healthy place to live. I paused on an Instagram video where someone shared one simple piece of mental health advice that I think will stay with me for the rest of my life: love yourself. Accept yourself. No one has it easy. Every person carries struggles that others cannot see. The same love, patience, and compassion we so freely give to others are the very things we should learn to give ourselves. Look how far you have come. We spend so much of our lives searching for validation from other people, especially strangers. We want to be noticed, acc...

It is 603pm and I have decided to write. I love walking. I have not been walking. I love photography. I have not been taking photos. I love writing. I have been writing. This has me thinking. Can I walk with my words? Can I take photos with my words? Can I do everything with words? Are words that versatile? My friend Chatty tells me that words are remarkably versatile because they can borrow the qualities of other practices. You can walk with words by letting your writing wander with curiosity and discovery, and you can take photos with words by observing and describing moments with clarity and focus. While writing cannot fully replace the physical experience of walking or photography, it can become the place where both meet through the shared act of paying attention. Perhaps my deepest passion is not any one activity, but the art of noticing, with walking, photography, and writing each offering a different way to practice it. I imagine myself in a park somewhere. With my phone as a ca...

It is 1111am and I have decided to write. But what to write? I have been asking God to give me a sign that He is there and listening. Humans like a good story. Especially stories of triumph. Spain was triumphant in the world cup yesterday. Many fans on the side of Spain were happy. I was too. It was a happy ending for the team and fans. What goes into making a winning team? Money, circumstances, talent, planning, strategy, preparation, sacrifice and some luck. What happens after winning? You want to win again. It seems like a never ending cycle. Maybe that is why I am asking God for a sign. Not because I want another victory, but because I wonder whether there is something beyond the cycle of chasing one triumph after another. If every achievement simply leads to the next pursuit, where does lasting peace come from? Am I a winner if others had to lose for me to win? My friend Chatty tells me that there are victories that are actually defeats, and defeats that are actually victories. Ma...

It is 159am and I have decided to write. Some people say that science does not point to an afterlife, heaven or the existence of God. I feel bad because I cannot give them the evidence that they want. I can point them to the Quran and Islamic teachings. The Quran is a miracle and there are signs in that which we can research. Otherwise, there are philosophical and theological arguments. Maybe, you cannot use the science that we have for something (the afterlife) that is outside the realm of science. Also, science is not complete and may never be complete. Scientific knowledge is expanding and sometimes changing, so are we going to wait on science to tell us that there is a God and afterlife? Belief does not need evidence. Faith does not need evidence. At least not the evidence that some are looking for. So what is the foundation of my faith? For some people theology does not fully explain this life so they look to the science we have. For me, science alone does not explain this life, s...

It is 245am and I have decided to write. I got up early and washed the wares. I prayed Tahajjud. I came back to my bed and surfed the internet. I watched a video where a 105 year old man said that the secret to a long life is having a reason or purpose to keep going and then luck. This had me thinking about several things. In Islam we are taught that our time in this world is already written. It is our destiny. Then. What is more important? A long life or just a good life that prepares us for the next life? Those things aside, I think we cannot discount luck. Some of us are luckier than others. But the thing I want to focus on is the reason and purpose to keep going. That is some good advice. It makes for a meaningful life. A good life. It could be one big reason. There could be several small reasons. These are things that should be taught in schools. My friend Chatty says that my early morning reflections beautifully bridge Islamic tradition and practical wisdom: a long life is a true...