maybe it's time to grow up

So I went to Bantry to visit a friend who's working at the hospital there (she has no friends there, poor thing). Bantry is a pretty little town which somehow manages to be both by the sea AND at the top of a hill. I'm glad I went there, it was therapeutic, getting out of Cork for a while.

As most of you probably already know, my housemates and I housed (twenty two!) friends who are studying medicine in Egypt and came over for their winter holiday (and got stuck here) for a few days. Watching them reporting to their family, the embassy, and their respective scholarship officers that they're safe in Cork living in a friend's house felt really...surreal.

I don't know if it's only me, but. I feel like I'm living through history. I know it sounds stupid because sure, history is written every day. But the sort of history that happened on 25/1 in Egypt is probably one that would go in college history or political textbooks, and I'm right there, giving food and a roof to actual people stranded from actual Egypt. It's just...weird.

And in the midst of it all I got a phone call from my friends in Poland who was travelling to London and booked rooms at the Malaysian Hall there. It turned out Malaysian Hall cancelled all their bookings to make room for the stranded Malaysians from Egypt. As a consequence of this, my friends ended up homeless for the night with no place to stay, and called to ask me if I had any friends in London (homeless friends seeking me for help seem to be a recurring theme here...).

You know what I realize from all this?

What I have, ALL that I have, is loaned from Allah. He can take it all back for all He care.

You're studying medicine and aiming for a degree in over a year?
Screw that, a freaking REVOLUTION will happen and you will have to go home not knowing when you'll be able to go back to college again.

You have a guy you plan to marry?
Screw that, you think he's a saint and put him on a pedestal...but he's going to go ahead and freaking cheat on you.

You have a pretty face that brings all the boys to the yard (LOL sorry can't help it)?
Screw that, you're getting an accident and end up with a distorted face for all your life and drown in a long bout of depression and self pity.

All true stories.

We take things for granted and kufur kepada nikmat Allah on a daily basis, over and over and over again. We make decisions to please people despite knowing it will cause Allah's wrath over and over and over again.

What if one day, Allah takes one small nikmat from us. Just a tiny bit. Like a finger. Our index finger. Damn, won't we be screwed for quite a bit.

But do we think to be thankful for all the things He gave us? Do we stop and think what we SHOULD (or shouldn't) be doing with our money, our time, our pretty face (??).

Some do. But most don't.

xoxo
Atiqah

(maybe it's time to grow up)