It has been a strange morning and it is only 7:11. My UAE phone wakes with chimes, telling me it is time to wake up and pray. So I do. I can be most obedient. The definition: omplying or willing to comply with orders or requests; submissive to another’s will: There is a list of different usages of the word but none of them are really applicable to a person being obedient to the Islamic faith. Do look it up yourself – my Dictionary is on my Apple computer – do not know if other computers have this same access. There is a list of adjectives,. I have weeded out the inapplicable ones: compliant acquiescent, tractable, amenable; dutiful. good, law-abiding, , respectful, duteous, under control, well trained, well disciplined, disciplined, observant, manageable, governable, submissive. The antonyms are disobedient. I can be rebellious and unruly in my situation as I can be unruly and rebellious within some of the strictures of the faith. A stricture is a restriction on a person or activity. So there are some restrictions in the faith that I am rebellious against – but those strictures are entirely man made and not in the Qur’an. Women covered from head to toe in black being one of them. The Qur’an merely says that men and women should dress modestly.
But back to my morning. I began with Instagram. I had commented on a reel. It said: If you want happiness Put the smile on the face of others And see the Smile Allah will put in Your Heart. The reel is accompanied by a child surrounded by birds happily smiling. I did respond.
Me: I do and He does.
The ‘author’ of the reel responded with a Like.
Then a Canadian woman who I admire greatly posted on Instagram
She: I am Alicia and beading is my addiction.
Me: What a great hobby. It brings order and color to the world. It takes a bead that is as small as a grain to sand and turns it into a part of a creation. It sounds almost holy when you look at it that way. I must get back to my addiction – which is writing. She Liked it immediately, I adore her.
Then a personalized message from a man whom I am meeting for brunch tomorrow. I have met him in the past – so he is not exactly a stranger. It is an amazing story actually.
He: A good morning dear! Have a blessed day!
Me: How precious to wake up to a good morning from you! It is almost as good as a cuddle (hahaha) What is your Muslim name? Mine is Fatimah.
He: Mine is Rashid.
Me: I love your Muslim name.
I met him in October, I got stuck in the sand and he helped me. But what I did not know is that he also is a recent convert to the faith. He also went to the Zayed Islamic Center – so we will have much to talk about. He seems very sweet and we joke around together via texts at this point. There are many restrictions on male-female relationships in the Islamic faith – he is 25 and I am 78 but they still apply. He is from Uganda.
One man from Vancouver. had posted a fascinating cartoon on Instagram which echoes my thoughts. He posted it on the Story section. Asked if he could send it to me in a format I could post on the blog. It is an excellent form of satire as you shall see – it deals with the situation in the Ukraine. I have not met him but he is a fast friend of my favorite Canadian artist Jean Paul Langlois – who I have met, bought a painting from him and follow him on Instagram.
There was some footage of the destruction in the Ukraine and I had responded. I did not realize that the wonderful Water Aerobics Instructor from the Rixos Resort had returned to her country, the Ukraine. I had responded to the footage, not really being aware, at the time, of who had posted it.
Me: Oh my goodness. NO NO Oh no no no no. This must end.
She: Unfortunately I am in the Ukraine now. I am in the city which always gives the answer to the Russians.
Me: I am doing my best to stop it through humor on my blog. Read the blog, my darling. I will never forget you. We will be together one day. I promise. With love, Alexis
She: Thank you Alexis
Me: I know it will happen.
The footage was horrible. The good news was that there were Russian tanks on fire but there were bodies everywhere with women wailing in pain, and destruction everywhere. Shells that used to be buildings.
Then something alarming happened. I went to read my blog to see if my most recent email had been posted. No me again. It said something like the Server could not deliver. But I sort of laughed and decided to write this anyway in the hope that the server would responds. It is impossible to reach me through my blog – a decision made initially and never regretted. ButI am reachable on Instagram and it is so gratifying to be able to be in contact with the people I have met. Relationships wither if no interaction takes place and most people are too busy or too lazy to maintain contact with one another. Many people I know (and some formerly loved) have my email address. They could comment and I would respond. But they do not. I do not email them directly for their eyes only – one reason they lost my love was because of their non responsiveness. Why put myself through that pain all over again?As you can see I have no shortage of people in my life.
Wise Man sent me two of the sweetest messages:
He: I miss your vibrant personality in my office!
Me: How wonderful of you to say! It fills my heart with joy! I shall be back to the USA for a visit one day and definitely I shall be seeing you and my PCP and my dentist.
The so-called friends in California have fallen away. Through Instagram I correspond regularly with a wonderful young woman who just turned 14 but that is it.
Also he messaged:
He: you have a GREAT adventure that, few others would ever have..
Me: I have! I love you for saying that. All praise to Allah
It is now a bit later – tried my blog again to find it was up and running. I used the search engine, typed in Putin and found that I had done a good job of humiliating him. Did not do much good but there is a reason. According to the New Yorker, Russians get their news from television , that their only source and Putin tells them he is not an aggressor but a victim of the West. Oh well, maybe I should try television. Be a stand up comedian and get lots of laughs at Putin’s expense. I was a stand up comedian once at a pub in London. I was good, I have to admit. Well tell that story again or perhaps look it up in the blog. My life during the past five years is portrayed there. It has taken some strange turns and will continue to.
So do a little extra work. Type Putin in the search engine of the blog and you can see that I have mentioned him in the past, the recent past and now.
Photographs are some I took at the Grand Mosque – all this and I can photograph too. Hahaha
