I cannot recall when I begun uttering this warning to people before telling them something surprising – years ago but now it just comes naturally.
Me: Fasten your seat belt. Not just the lap belt but the shoulder harness.
They: Okay. It is fastened.
Me: Okay I will tell you some news that is sure to startle you.
So all of you out there in blog land: Fasten up!!! Here it comes.
Me: Rashid volunteered to fast for me during Ramadan. Willingly! I did not even hint or nothing
You: WOW. When did that happen?
Me: Yesterday afternoon after the mani and pedi. S.A.D and I picked him up, we went back to my hotel. We sat and started to talk. I said something about getting everything done before Ramadan. He said: I will fast for you.
You: What did you say?
Me: I said that it was the greatest gift that anyone could given me. Maybe I even cried but it was tears of joy not sorrow, that is for SURE.
So just to be clear, to all of you not of the Islamic faith, it is permissible to pay a poor person to fast for you. It is a form of charity. But he does not want the money.
He: I do not want your money. I am doing it because I love you and I am younger and it will not be as hard on my body.
Me: I have some money set aside for charity. A bill I am not paying and told the person that I would donate the money to charity.
He: You can give the money to me and I will donate it to charity.
Me: Now that is definitely a win/win solution!!
What is a win/win solution. Win-win is a Frank Covey paradigm. Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. Win-win means agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and satisfying. It is all rather fascinating. To quote from their website: “Think Win-Win isn’t about being nice, nor is it a quick-fix technique. It is a character-based code for human interaction and collaboration.Most of us learn to base our self-worth on comparisons and competition. We think about succeeding in terms of someone else failing—if I win, you lose; or if you win, I lose. Life becomes a zero-sum game. There is only so much pie to go around, and if you get a big piece, there is less for me; it’s not fair, and I’m going to make sure you don’t get anymore. We all play the game, but how much fun is it really? Win-win sees life as a cooperative arena, not a competitive one. Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. Win-win means agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and satisfying. We both get to eat the pie, and it tastes pretty darn good!To go for win-win, you not only have to be empathic, but you also have to be confident. You not only have to be considerate and sensitive, but you also have to be brave. That balance between courage and consideration is the essence of real maturity and is fundamental to win-win.”
It can be summarized this way. “Win-Win is the ideal way of thinking. With this attitude, you believe everyone can win. It’s thinking that everyone can be successful and that one person doesn’t need to fail for you to succeed. Win-Win leads to teamwork and better relationships with others.” This is why they think Win-win is important. A win-win situation helps to develop humility in you. If you rely on others for your success, then it creates a sense of humbleness that enables you to find a mutual benefit situation. Win-win makes both parties feel satisfied because they believe that neither of them is a winner nor a loser.”
Back to the Ramadan fasting. Fasted last year, 2021 but it was most difficult. There was some good news as I lost about 15 or 20 pounds but it totally sapped all of my energy, not only during Ramadan but for weeks afterwards. It did give me a feeling of not only accomplishment but also that I was a REAL MUSLIm. However, it was a downer in many ways and my brain did not work that well. Today, I happily told S.A.D. of Rashid’s generous offer.
He: That is really great of him to do that for you.
Me: I know!! And when you think of it – it will be perfect in every way. I am planning to memorize the Quran during Ramadan and my brain will work better if it is nourished. And I won’t be preoccupied thinking about how hungry I am.
S.A.D. and I had a rather disappointing day. There was some good news as we picked up the order of business cards – It is rather unbelievable but I have given out about five hundred cards in the past three months. But a frustrating time at the Zayed Islamic Center. Perhaps more about that later. Then we went to the Fish Market and that seemed to be working out perfectly. However, something happened and I began to feel really sick all of a sudden. I am allergic to mussels (the shell fish, not the ones on Rashid’s arms). I told the waiter and he even made a special soup for me with no mussels but there might have been a trace of them in a cooking liquid or something. I escaped without throwing up which would not have been very appetizing to the other diners. I am beginning to feel a little better and actually writing this blog helped as my mind was on other matters.
So this is a slightly shorter blog and no pictures were taken at the Fish Market because we left in a rush. There is one photo taken of the Zayed Muslim Center. Just proving to you people that I was there. Hahaha
