Issue No. 18: Spend A Day With Me in Ramadan
And some musings on the side
It’s Ramadan, the annual month of fasting for Muslims and I thought I’d ask you guys to come along and spend a day with me. I know some of you are observing the month as well, while others are either non-practicing or from entirely different faiths or backgrounds. My hope is to share a piece that is interesting for all, irrespective of what your belief system might be (or maybe none at all). I personally see Ramadan as that yearly fitness regimen where I get to renew and restore myself holistically (emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc.). And so, this issue for me is like talking about any transformative program, like we have Whole30 where you do an eating reset for 30 days or a Couch to 5k where you go from zero to running 5k over some weeks. I hope you enjoy this peek into my heart and life.
It’s 4:30 in the morning.
I’ve been up for a while and have been spending some time in this small, cozy space that I set up for my quiet time in Ramadan. It’s still dark out; inside the room is cool and a small lamp is warmly glowing away in a corner. The house sleeps around me, quiet except for the hum of the air conditioner. I check my phone and an alarm is softly buzzing on the screen so I start walking back to our room to wake up Nabeel.
It's time for sehri.
Sehri (also, known as Suhoor), the very, early morning meal that Muslims start their Ramadan fast with. And this is where I’ll also begin the story of my day with you.
SEHRI 4:40 am – 5:30 am
I put up lights in our living room and around our kitchen area a few days ago and so when the both of us come down for Sehri, the whole space is softly glowing in this warm, golden light; it’s one of my favorite things about this time.
We step into our quiet, sleepy kitchen and in a few minutes, it starts to stretch and warm up with us. I put on the kettle for chai, get things out of different cabinets, fill our water bottles.
Nabeel and I usually prep things together, and we keep our meal fairly non-fuss, we just try to make sure we get some protein to last us through the day. Either it’s fried eggs with parathas (a flaky, flatbread) or Greek yoghurt with granola and some fruit.
For today’s Sehri we had the latter. I took some Greek Yoghurt, added almond butter, some vanilla concentrate & honey. Then topped it with cut up bananas and lots of granola; it always turns out so delicious. Also, had enough water, electrolytes, vitamins. And chai, because of course, always chai.
We finished up our food and then hung back on the couch waiting for the prayer call to officially begin our day of fasting.
You know, some days ago we’d been out to stock up on a few things for the month, and in the car, we were chatting about how excited we were about waking up for sehri this year.
When I was younger, my parents had to literally drag me and my siblings out of bed for it and they’d be under strict instructions to not wake us up even a minute more than we needed to be. And now several years later, here we were, almost thrilled about it.
It made me think about how we say that no one can look into the future. But I feel like in some ways we can. I remember waking up all grumpy for Sehri at what used to feel like an insane hour at the time, looking subhuman at best, but seeing my parents in high spirits, casually chatting away, having woken up much before us to set out our meals.
And when I look at that memory, and then I look at my life right now, it’s like, while huddled away at that dining table as a 10-year-old/15-year-old, I was in fact looking at my future. I think behaviors, rituals, habits that we grow up around can often show a picture of what our life could look like. And so much of who we want to be, can be shifted based on looking at that potential future. To adopt what made us feel happy and warm, to release what didn’t.
For years, it felt crazy to be up at such a time, to do nothing but just to eat. But I think it’s these unique experiences that often detach you from the constant buzz of your normal life. They are so different from who you are everyday that they compel you to think and observe and introspect on your life in a way you wouldn’t have.
MORNING PRAYER & SLEEP 5:30 – 9:00
Around 5:30, the azaan/prayer call cuts through the quiet and fills up the room. We got this Azan clock sometime back and it’s been such a joy to have around the house. Anyway, as it echoes through our home, we take our last few sips of water and start to shuffle back to the kitchen. Because we eat fairly simple, it fortunately takes only about a couple of minutes to put things back to rest: we clear away the dishes, wipe the counters, fill up the water bottles.
Nabeel makes a comment about the keema (ground meat) that