RuBe’s Closet - Modest Fashion and Lifestyle: fashion. Modest Blogger

Friday, 6 April 2018

I fell off the balanced wagon

Hey lovely readers,

This past two weeks have really been food for the soul, this school holidays and time away from the rat race was much needed indeed. Since returning from Hajj a few months ago, I have dived into work and everything else head first, and haven't take a time out to breathe, except for one week during December holidays.

Recently, I have become aware of how quickly things go off track when I'm not paying attention. I have been very focused on my introspective work, which is also time out in a way, I have been intensely absorbed on work, the blog and delivering motivational talks. In the background, my kids have also been so busy and I have just gone along with their crazy schedule feeling as if the hamster wheel was on fast forward. This has kept me busy 24/7, 7 days a week and it felt like weekends just ran into each other. But lately, the introspection has prompted me to reconsider my prioritities, whilst meditation helped with momentary stillness. I know that I constantly work under pressure and function on fast forward mode every single day.

Then I took a step back, going away this Easter weekend presented the perfect opportunity to reflect, as I spent some well deserved time with my oldest and dearest friend and her family. We spent the 5 days doing very little apart from chat, drink tea, play games with the kids and just catch our breath. The kids (both young adults and teens) spent the time together and had the most terrific time without TV and video games. It was a complete reprieve from the crazy!

I've come back home rejuvenated and rested and fully aware of how I push myself to the limit each day. I realise how far I strayed from the path of balanced living. It should have been a warning sign when I climbed into bed each night completely exhausted. I suppose with the kids being more independent I thought I'd be able to do more; instead I did more but didn't really have the reserves to do more. My resources did not stretch to the extra loads I keep adding. And yet, at the same time I am very aware of how people and situations drain my energy, without the actual awareness of how I tap into every ounce of my own energy to get through each day. I have managed to create boundaries to keep those situations at bay, and I now further realise that losing focus on me, really means just not adhering to my needs first. These last few weeks have been concentrated on this and ensuring that I do not unneccesarily accelerate my pace. I wrote this post 2 years ago about how I cope with a hectic schedule, and even though all of these are still in place, I seem to have found extra things to add on!

So after a wonderful time of complete relaxation and quality time with great friends and family, I am going to try and be mindful of those times I start feeling like the hamster wheel is speeding up. It will be a reminder to me to check myself, reorientate and move forward. 🙏🏼

Today's outfit is probably the last summer one, as the days start becoming chilly. It features a pretty gingham pants, block boxy leather top and bright espadrilles and scarf.

Outfit details:

Laser cut top old

Gingham pants from Superbalist

Nine West (Saudi) suede espadrilles

Old Scarf

Louis Vuitton bag

Rebelfunk earrings

Ciao for now,

RuBe xoxo

Finding my inner strength

Happy Friday lovelies!

This has been a difficult week for me, as I've indicated before, Ramadaan is the start of my planning for the year ahead. It seems the very first week after the fast (of my new year) has hit me like a ton of bricks. Things have instantly stepped up a notch, professionally, emotionally, personally and also in terms of my studies and personal growth. However, I am the type of person who will roll with whatever comes my way, face it head on and tackle it to the best of my ability. I have to admit though, that it can be difficult to always be ready to engage when it would be so much easier to pretend that it didn't happen, isn't there or to crawl under the covers.

Over the past two weeks, I have expressed gratitude and thankfulness for my family especially. And this week, it has hit home how much I rely on their support and strength, even if they don't realise it. While the love and support from loved ones is vital, what is more important is the ability to heal yourself. Even though I rely on their support, I need my family more as an encouragement when I'm in a dark place and not to actually get me out of that space. To be of service to myself, I need to be able to access my own inner strength, which I have become so adept at calling upon, to carry me through hard times. For many people it is easier to ignore issues, as it takes so much energy to have to deal with obstacles, but they are usually the best way to strengthen oneself.

Obstacles are placed in our paths to strengthen us, sometimes for a lesson meant to be learnt and sometimes because things were not meant to be a certain way. For me, when faced with obstacles, I draw on inner strength, and find what I need inside me to be able to weather the storm. My peaceful place to access this strength is usually through prayer, a time when I am my most tranquil, with no outside noise interfering. Prayer will mean different things to different people, but essentially it is to be still with oneself, to communicate with Allah/ God/The Divine and access that connection that we all have to a power greater than ourselves. It is ultimately the responsible of each individual to live life to their best potential, to use the gifts granted to them and to be conscious of doing good. I am always learning, so have not found the magic 'formula' for doing this, but I shall continue to try and deal with whatever hurdles I encounter. Always with the support of my army at my side.

This week's quote:

"Above all,
be the heroine of your life,
not the victim."
- Nora Ephron

This weeks OOTD is my Eid outfit, which included a sequin mermaid skirt from Fabulous in Hijab paired with a plain ZARA boxy top and royal blue Ted Baker heels, both scored on sale. We had such a special Eid day, relaxed, even though I had a bigger cooking responsibility. This outfit was perfect for all day as it was comfortable, warm and stylish.