Next!

When I was in 1st grade I used to look at the 3rd grade kids in awe and wonder when I could achieve their coolness. They were reading entire stories! When I reached 3rd grade I realised it wasn’t that great and I actually just want to get to 5th grade where we get to write with pens instead of pencils! My friends and I used to dream about being so grown up that we can actually use ‘ink pens’. 5th grade came and within a few days we realised that all pens did was make mistakes more obvious on our notebooks and leave ugly marks on our hands. Then the obsession became reaching 10th grade because oooooh now those kids are a big deal with their ‘boards’ and all. It kept going like that…12th, then college, then Masters.

From singlehood to marriage, marriage to parenthood….It’s always about the next step, the next graduation, the next move. As humans we crave for bigger, better, shinier, more exciting things and experiences. We can’t get the grass is greener on this other side concept out of our minds. We have made it difficult for ourselves and our peers to be happy in the moment, with what we have. The joy of enjoying the little things has been strangled by the need to make them picture-perfect moments that just gather digital dust in our phones.

When we turned 18 we legally became adults. But the truth is that a lot of us are still floundering in the dark, knocking things down, hurting ourselves on edges of coffee tables we can’t see, trying to get to that small light switch that will magically allow us to see everything and finally make sense. Some of us find it at 21, some 25, and some are still searching for it well into their 30s. Some look for it in relationships, some in their work, and yet others in drink and smoke. Although they give us temporary pleasure, these are not the places we find the switch for true, lasting happiness in.

In moments of such emotion turmoil, I always turn to my spiritual guide- the Qur’an. It tells us to be more grateful for what we have and we will be given more. At first I thought being grateful just meant a mere lip service thanks and we are done with it, God will just shower us with money and material wealth. It took me some time to realise what real gratitude meant and what we get in return. Gratitude means being present in each moment and internalising every good thing going on in your life- your family, your health, your security, your friendships, your freedom, your time. It means looking at bad things and knowing it could have been worse. it means looking at an improved situation and reminding yourself that just yesterday this was a matter of concern. You know what happens when you do that? You realise you have pretty much all the ingredients for a happy life, and anything more would just be icing on the cake. And what do you get from being grateful? God makes your life more meaningful. You get incredible peace of mind. You get to control your mind and your emotions. You get to become a productive and positive person that looks for opportunities instead of set backs.

At the end of the day, only a truly grateful person can live life to the fullest and leave the world with no regrets and hang-ups. That place of gratitude, contentment, and peace is something I hope we all find someday.