Better Late Than Never may become the title of the book I am writing. Its chief competitor for the title is my original inspiration No Mosques for Me. My January 30 and February 1, 2024 playfully played with book titles. Feel free to go back and read them.They are free as is this one, and all of them. Go ahead! I dare you!
Perhaps the title of the book Better Late Than Never should add the colon trick. Better Late Than ax Never; Saving the Best Until Last. Upon reflection such a title decided this title could describe most aspects for my life. Well, except for husbands. Suppose I could get married again, this time using better date selection,. However that would require a great deal of effort. Besides that, lo and behold, I still seem to attract the wrong kind of men. Not worth the effort just for a book title.
I seem to be in a remarkably good mood considering the events of last night. Decided, for a change of pace, to skip the break fast Iftar dinner, instead feasting on the breakfast 12-3 offering. It was a bountiful buffet, however the after effects were not pleasant. Explosive Vomiting and diarrhea at exactly the same time. What a mess! Eventually fell asleep, Woke up feeling fine but felt so guilty as it was 8:49 – I had missed Fajr prayer and as sunrise was long gone, there would be no sustaining food to feed my empty tummy. It was a dilemma, I prayed for a solution. Offered a late Fajr prayer – acceptable if offered before Dhuhr (in some circles). That completed resumed Day 10 of Ramadan 2024.
Did feel some responsibility to inform management but placed that aside for two reasons. I am not the food taster, besides that, it would take much time and energy. For many reasons I am convinced that an exotic juice is the offender, informing the powers-that-be would take all of my energy and much time. I do have to admit that my perfectionistic prior day problem-solving ways did think of a solution. 1) call a Kohbar man with doctor connections. 2) he would insist that I see a doctor or at least talk to one. 3) I talk to one explain the symptoms he/she confirms that it was food or liquid poisoning and agrees with my diagnoses of the juice. 4/ armed with reliable and verifiable truth I contact the staff member in charge – the Food and Beverage Manager.
I did none of that, for the following reasons, thinking ahead. If I took the first step, the WhatsApp text to the man with connections, realized he was probably asleep and I would be left in the lurch waiting for his call. Leave in the lurch means to leave someone and without assistance or support when they are in a difficult situation. If I did not text him and ask for support than I would not be left in the lurch. That was easy. That was the first step to my ‘rescue operation’ – if I did not take the first step the whole plan would vanish. People can get lost in trying to save somebody else. One of my favorite quotes, from the time I was in my very early twenties, was this one from Scott Fitzgerald. “I cannot save you, I am trying to save myself.”
I could not find that Scott Fitzgerald quote but found this one: “I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity, and her flaming self-respect. And it’s these things I’d believe in, even if the whole world indulged in wild suspicions that she wasn’t all she should be. I love her and that’s the beginning and the end of everything.” — letter to Isabelle Amorous, about Zelda.
Wow!!! I would love to be loved for my courage, my sincerity and my flaming self-respect. A recent necessity is to be loved for my love of Allah (SWT) by a man who also loved Allah (SWT), more than he loved me). That is surely a great deal to ask for. Worth waiting for, saving the best for last. Hahaha. Then this Fitzgerald quote caused me to swoon: “You are the loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known — and even that is an understatement.” — letter to Zelda. Perhaps the best I could ever ask for is this. “I wasn’t actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby. That would be enough, along with the love of Allah (SWT), of course.
This is more applicable to my life. “It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald I am well known for my smile, I insist upon smiling, and smiling is totally under my control.
It is now hours later. I did it!!! Now 16:35 military time; sunset is 17:51. I am suffering from bad math but can quickly say to myself:
Me: It is only a little more than an hour away. Yippee!
Alter Ego: That is all you really have to know.
Me: You are absolutely right! Why bother about math? A Saudi man told me last night that most people were bad at math. Then told me an amusing story about his parting words to his high school math instructor.
This blog began with the intention of discussing a book I finally opened yesterday. It is a book chosen by the amazing staff at the Ithra Library. Fasting for Ramadan: Notes From a Spiritual Practice is written by Kazim Ali, who had the fortune to be born of Indian parents in England, and the misfortune to be raised in Canada and the United States. He teaches at Oberlin College, a writing program with great status and a fine reputation. But here is the very best thing about him: he is a blogger. Yes indeed, he is! “The first part of this book originated as a blog that was posted daily. In this form of immediacy, I tried to think about fasting, spiritual discipline and my own ideas about these. But several years earlier I had kept a little fasting journal in a spiral notebook, writing privately for myself. If the first (and written later) portion of the book is read as the mind’s reaching out , with the intention of external communication, then the second (and written earlier) portion could to be understood as grounded in the body and the body’s experience, which is internal, a practice of reflection.” (Preface, xi)
Many blurbs accompany this book. Wikipedia tells us:
“A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dust jacket of a book. With the development of the mass-market paperback, they were placed on both covers by most publishers. Now they are also found on web portals and news websites. A blurb may introduce a newspaper or a book.”
This blurb was my favorite. “Like a flower wilting in a dry pot, Ali’s body grows weary without food and water. But as the days go on some other form of sustenance takes over to revive and replenish him, propelling him forward…(An) incisive look at what it really means to be a Muslim in today’s world…. – Samina Ali, novelist, author of Madras on Rainy Days.
It is now 17:10. I am concluding the writing to prepare for sunset. Will resume writing with food in my belly. Hahaha
Next morning. Day 11 of Ramadan.
Allah (SWT) must have guided me. With the provisions provided by Allah (SWT) my fast was broken. Dressed in Saudi attire I went to the lobby for Iftar, spotted the General Manager near the entrance. He was, typically, on the phone. Conveyed to him that there was something important to tell him. He terminated his call to speak to me. I told him about my vomiting and diarrhea in somewhat graphic language, blaming the juice. Knowledgeably he informed me that there was nothing in the juice that could have caused the problem. Suggested that it was probably the ingestion of citrus and dairy products, one after another that caused the distress. First the juice, then the omnali (an absolutely delicious Arab sweet concoction whose English translation is Ali’s mother). The definition of concoction used here is a mixture of various ingredients or elements. The alternate definition is an elaborate story, especially a fabrication.
I was so happy that I had not followed my old ways – taken time and energy from concentrating on the Islamic Faith, to be remedying a non-existent problem. It was not food or liquid poisoning, it was my ingestion of food that caused the problem Alhamduilliah.
Returning to the alternative definition of concoction, there is no way that this blog was a fabrication, piece of fiction, invention, falsification, contrivance, fairy tale. It was the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Photographs shall be slightly shall we say, tongue-in cheek. After speaking of No Mosques for Me as being the possible title of my forthcoming book, all of the photos will be of photographs. ms taken in the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.
(If you say something tongue in cheek, you intend it to be understood as a joke, although you might appear to be serious)
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4eQQ_dgyk6/?igsh=cHlqc2h6NWdteWNy
