A and I do not really celebrate New Years. So yesterday after finishing my 12 hour on-call shift, by 11pm I was passed out on the sofa next to A, who was frantically coding away on his computer (deadline for his final project closely looming). By the time I was awake, it was already 6 hours past midnight - A who stayed up working said there were some fireworks outside but that was basically it. After morning prayers, we went to sleep to only be awaken at midday - how glorious it was to not work on a public holiday! I checked Instagram in bed where friends and acquaintances had documented their lively NYE parties. As much as that seemed thrilling for them, I on the other hand was greatly content to have no desire at all to be put in such an environment. My introverted self could not think of anything worse than to mark the end of a long year than to be cramped in a place with alot of (incoherent) people with loud music blasting in the background. That is why although as an international student in London it was almost customary for everyone of us to make the journey to River Thames to see the fireworks at midnight at least once - I never did. Why would I spend hours in the cold, when I can watch the festivities from different angles live and in HD on my computer?
But there are traditions of New Years that I do follow - resolutions. At the end of last year, I vowed to write more - and that I did. I wrote a blogpost everyday for more than a hundred days. And although that tapered off towards the end of the year - I found that exercise thoroughly rewarding. Writing has always been a passion of mine and I do want to keep at it - by hopefully writing one post every week. This year will also be a year of many changes - and going through these periods of uncertainty will inadvertently bring about alot of anxiety. As such, I hope to be more organised - to pencil in tasks into my calendar. To make financial goals and to keep them. And to carve out time to meet up with friends and family.
I also want to be more mindful. I started today by going through all my clothes and purging my closet from items I no longer need. I want to purchase things mindfully, make food with intention and spend time on my phone with purpose. Less consuming, more creating. And as a lover of the written word, as many years previously, I want to commit to reading books. Ones that I know I will easily like and those from genres I have yet to explore. Spiritually this year, I hope to make the pilgrimage with A, inshaAllah. I want to continue to make the effort in learning Allah swt’s Book and inch closer to Him. I want to fill my life with His teachings and make decisions with Him in mind.
A and I were walking along the river today to get some air. The sky was so beautiful mashaAllah! The hues of blue, red, orange, grey all mixed together into a magnificent burst of colour. It almost somewhat signified the year to come - its complexity, its ups and downs, its random nature, its surprises and its ever changing shape. I looked up and felt hopeful. We are ready for you, inshaAllah!
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