Welcome lovely readers!
This week has been filled with episodes, work things, holiday things and so much more! It feels as if I have been saying this since January, and now when I look back I realise it's already been 6 months, and we've entered the second half of the year! One thing I have learnt this year is that life doesn't stand still, like time, life will pass me by if I don't make the most of it. Life can only be richer if I embrace everything with enthusiasm (including the trials) because this will be the only way I can imagine living a grateful and fulfilled life.
Gratitude takes many shapes, it is the conscious "Thank you" for blessings, it is in the overwhelming feeling of love from loved ones, it is in accepting the body we have been blessed with and acknowledging it's strength; and it is in the conscious awareness of those less fortunate. Gratitude for me includes embracing my trials, as difficult as it may be, dealing with it and ultimately just taking it one step at a time to get through it. And by the time I have taken a few steps forward, trusting and with complete faith in my Creator, do I realise the blessing in the trial. I can regard it as a preparation for what still has to come, or as an experience meant to alert me to my shortcomings or a trial meant to strengthen character.
Earlier this week I attended the launch of Saffron, a book containing a collection of personal narratives by Muslim women. The conversation at the launch was inspiring, it highlighted the courage it took for these women to publish their deepest thoughts, trials and tribulations. And it also became obvious how this is frowned upon on our community, that women feel that they cannot freely express themselves for fear of judgement or retribution. Upon reflecting on the discussions of the evening, a few things became crystal clear:
1. These stories relate to any woman, Muslim or not, and yet it is necessary to reassure Muslim women that it can be done. I know that women, across cultures, would benefit from reading these stories, and when I listened to non-Muslim attendees at the launch speak, I realised that they too face the same criticism for sharing personal stories, and for sharing taboo topics.
2. Some of these stories could refer to any male. There would have been a male spouse, father, brother or son who would have been privy to the heartache, the tears and anguish of these women. And so in this way they too would have been affected by the individual's trauma and struggles.
3. As human beings we have the same make up, we are all the same and we all hurt in the same way. What makes us different is the way we react to situations, our individual disposition and our inherent character.
It is our inherent character which determines how we choose to live, how we choose to deal with suffering, hurt and hardships. And how we manage these is determined on our own individual orientation to the world. So while these stories come from women all over the world, as humans we could all be victims of the same angst, dealing with the same issues. And while I am all for women empowerment, I will never advocate it at the expense of males. I cannot truly be an empowered woman if I fail to see the value that each human brings to the world, male and female alike. I know that empowered males exist, those who support their counterparts in marriage, as a parent, as a sibling and as friends. I believe that we should include all of the human race in empowering each other, I choose to believe that we can effect change as a unified power. The reality is that this is not always the case, even in my closest circles, as it is easier to to focus on what makes us different rather than what makes us the same. And this my dear readers, is where we find ourselves in the hot water of life... So I can only focus on my own contribution to society and trust that this is enough...
My motto in life is to live authentically as possible, to focus on what makes me tick, forgetting what the world may think of me and setting the best example I know how for my young charges.
This outfit is the perfect representation of me, quirky, different and wholly unconcerned with what others think of it. I was comfortable, it reflected me and my mood for the day. This is important to me, to be able to just be and not to wear my clothing as armour, instead I will be uniquely me! ♥️
Outfit details:
Huemine Image tweed top (old)
Pleated skirt (old)
Stockings (old)
Vans leather sneakers
Sunglasses from Opulence
Forever New Scarf
French Connection leather bag
Scarf gifted
Caio for now,
RuBe xoxo
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