Last evening, just before sunset, I took myself for a walk on the beach – the beach surrounding this hotel. This rather messy beach is nothing like the beaches of that surround the Bahrain Rex Cartoon, nor the beach seen from Jeddah Shngrai-Lai – two of the other hotels I have stayed in during the last six months. You shall see a photo – there are also photos of the beach front ramshackle housing.
I had gone on a beach walk before, probably a couple of months ago – but became discouraged because the knee makes it difficult to walk on sand. This time I was armed because earlier in the day purchased a new brace from Swiss Pharmacy, conveniently located across the street from the hotel (got a ride there, read about that later.) The peace, the simple fishing boats, no visible high rise structures, would make one think this was an earlier time – sixty years ago perhaps. Had spoken about this to the two fisherman on my prior walk. I stood on the beach in awe, thanking Allah (SWT) for his blessings – being able to be there, feel safe for the first time in my life, surrounded by Malaysian people – feeling totally at home and welcomed (more about that later).
Me: Look at this!!! You would have thought I would be here. Nobody!!!!
Alter Ego: You mean your former friends and family in America?
Me: Nobody – not even me. Not even me. Inconceivable!!!!
And everything is, as the expression goes, coming together, meaning to begin to work or proceed in the desired way. When everything comes together perfectly that’s synchronicity, the moment when things happen together, as if perfectly timed. The is Me and Malaysia.
You are about to see proof.
The day before yesterday a conversation took place at a large table at the breakfast buffet
Ben Hur, has a self designated nickname. He shall retain his anonymity, but key to this is the understanding that he has enormous Lexis Suites authority. I approached the table with information on the cost of the Bali cooking class, he had asked previously but did not have the knowledge at the time. We began discussing the multiple, the myriad of coincidences that brought me here, this Lexis Suites which seems to be the perfect place for me to be. “It must be Allah, all of those things could not come together without divine intervention.” said I. Ben Hur, (not a Muslim) much to my surprise said: “Allah brought you to us.” The other people at the table nodded in assent.
It HAD to be my finest hour. That expression just came to me. Goggled it, making it even finer. Finest hour is idiomatic:: a point in time, a relatively brief period of time when an especially distinguished, admirable, or effective set of actions is performed. Churchill’s “Finest hour” quote is generally regarded to be this one: “Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour.” Their finest hour means “the moment of their greatest …
Everything coming together for me in Malaysia is synchronicity. This quotation describes my life, at this moment, perfectly: “The best feeling in the whole world is watching things finally fall into place after watching them fall apart for so long”
Returning from the beach walk met a Lexis Suite employee leaving work, on his birthday, laden with gifts. I sang him my special version of the Happy Birthday song, which he recorded.
Me: I celebrated by 81 birthday here. Look at some pictures and reels. It was nothing short of spectacular – how many people have elephants at their surprise parties. I love Malaysians!
He: Malaysians love celebrating each other’s birthdays – bringing joy to one another.
I silently thought of all of the pious Muslim writings telling Believers not to celebrate birthdays, somehow it was forbidden. Pious Muslims and all of their rules. They take one isolated verse, make an activity forbidden – even though the next verse allows it.
I felt SO grateful for all of my blessings.
Me: Thank you for all of my blessings! I would prefer less blessings please, not more. I am grateful, but I could share.
Do know from my reading that the more you are grateful for your blessings, the more you get. Gratitude brings greater blessings; failing to be thankful means that, in the long run, your blessings might collapse. I am grateful!!!!
The beach walk marked the conclusion of a blessed, absolutely blessed day. I needed to go to Swiss Pharmacy, just across the street from the hotel. It is not easy as traffic is bad and there are no sidewalks. As I tentatively waved good bye to one of the security guards, a woman employee on a motorbike pulled up.
She: Where are you going?
Me: Oh just across the street to the pharmacy.
She: Hop on I will take you for a ride.
Me: Oh goodie!!! I would love that.
Walked into the pharmacy, manned by two wonderful women.
Me: Look at me, I got a ride!!
They: We have not seen you in awhile.
Me: I went to Bali for about four days, but I am back! I loved it totally, had a fabulous time.
I needed a refill of a prescribed statin drug.
Me: Do you have this? I got it in Saudi Arabia.
She: No! not that one but a substitute
Me: Oh! will I need a doctor’s prescription?
She: No, if I have proof you take it and you gave me proof.
Me: Alhamdulillah. I love Malaysia. So much easier here than in the US and Canada. And cheaper too!!!
I needed Omega which I take for my eyes, prescribed by an Edmonton doctor. Baby aspirin. They had everything!! Got a new brace for my knee – they measured my knee making it a perfect fit. I bought something for a joke, which you will hear about later.
Me: I am fasting tomorrow. My doctors say I need to take drink fluids with electrolytes.
She: We do not have the drink but Uncle next door should have it. The name is 100 Plus
Went next door to Uncle’s grocery store – got the drink and some other things, including Lexus cookies. My name is ALL over the place.
Came back to the hotel. Stopped at the 8th floor, where they played my favorite song, mentioned before in the blog, A Thousand Years. Then Amy came by. She took my photo, took a sticker she had made, combining them. It is so funny. I am holding the sticker in my hands in one shot. Sent it to him
Me: You sitting on my knee. Amy did this for us. Hahaha
Sent another photo.
Me: A more intimate pose. No need to respond, just laugh to yourself. She totally volunteered btw. I did not ask her to place us in this position.. Hahaha
Then back to my room and to bed – preparation for today’s fast. Again, I seem to be the only Muslim I know to be fasting today. I put the word out. One woman said she would be fasting with me.
Me: Are you fasting today? Please answer, I asked three times.
She: No I have a ulcer in my mouth.
Me: Fasting would be good. You do not want food in your mouth with an ulcer.
No response.
It is now the day of the fast. As I I write I am listening to my new mentor (prior mentor was Margaret Atwood, please see prior blog, an update soon.) She is Dr. Rania Award, she has been mentioned in prior blogs quite frequently, in meaningful ways. She is speaking of Lady Khadijah, her topic Defining Womanhood, which is near and dear to me. Accidentally discovered this program when scanning through Instagram for various reasons. Seems miraculous. What makes everything less miraculous is this: got a call from the Duty Manager saying that bug control guys are coming to my room.
Only one bug control guy and someone taking the photo showing that he did it. Anyway we had a great chat – now I have another Instagram friend and another person following the blog.
Back now to the conversation with Ben Hur, the conversation continued after we talked about my coming to Lexis Suites. A surprising question voiced by Ben Hur.
He: How do you keep you mind so alive and active at your age – you are 81. People are not like you at that age.
Me: It is interesting – people ask questions expecting one answer to a Why is that? Let me think. There are a number of factors, let me think of some of the factors. .
I enumerated some. Genetics – intelligence is inherited. But that is not all. My brothers have the same genes, they do not have my fine mind. (Haha) I am in good health, so are many people. I am educated, over-educated perhaps. So a combination of all this. But the one thing I have, is curiosity. Knowing I had spoken of curiosity on the blog, typed it into the search engine. I had I had – forty times. Oh My Allah! I read some of them with delight and amusement.
Curiosity killed the cat” is a proverb used to warn of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation. It also implies that being curious can sometimes lead to danger or misfortune. The original form of the proverb, now rarely used, was “Care killed the cat”. Some of my curiosity did result in misfortune but I always landed on my feet – like cats do. (More about that later).
The real secret of my success, my mind being alive and well and living in Malaysia because of this blessed blog. I love learning, love solving problems, figuring things out. I get to write about my discoveries. Being able to share my discoveries gives me purpose. Writers want to be read – that is their need. People read me, have always since I started. So sayeth my statistics. It’s working!!!
Photos include Amy’s creation. Sent it to the man in the sticker.
He: Oh wow! You look beautiful, your eyes shine and I can see their color and the cut out LOL. It is amazing, How in the world did she do that?
Me: Do not ask me, she just did it. Took my picture, put it together with the sticker she had made of the two of us. It was magic!!
Also a funny photograph of me breaking the fast with my Lexus cookie. This hotel does not have dates – I had to improvise. Hahaha I shared it with staff to make them laugh. They did.
