How Are We Already Here?
I cannot believe we’ve finished the second week of Ramadan. I know we say this every year, but really — blink and you miss it. The days feel like they’re folding into each other.
Part of it, I think, is being employed. And yes, I’m grateful to have work, Alhamdulillah, but I also find myself reminiscing about those freelancing/unemployed times when I could spend Ramadan at home without deadlines and corporate “urgencies” hanging over me. During that time, the days felt slower and like I was more immersed in the month.
Balancing Work and Worship
I’m trying (like most of us are) to be more intentional this month: more ibadah, more reflection, more stillness. But life doesn’t pause, and work doesn’t disappear just because it’s Ramadan.
Last week was a perfect example. It flew by because it was mentally and emotionally packed.
The Week That Tested My Voice… Literally
I had a quarterly client presentation, which meant analytics, numbers, charts. Listen ya’ll, I’m a words girly. I thrive on creativity. I can storytell all day, every day. But numbers? Speaking to numbers? That’s a different kind of battle.
To make matters worse funnier, I had to present these numbers. For hours. While fasting.
Everyone else in the room was sipping water and snacking, enjoying the show (I was the show). The snacking part didn’t faze me – I don’t really crave food in Ramadan. But the talking… the talking without water? Different story.
I don’t have the loudest voice on a normal day, but I started off strong, using what I call my “outside voice” (which is just everyone else’s regular speaking volume). As the presentation went on — new slides, new questions — my voice kept dipping.
Cue the constant chorus of:
“Can you speak up a bit?”
“We can’t quite hear you.”
One of my colleagues jokingly asked me after, “How many times did they tell you to speak up?” The answer: a lot more than usual. It’s a running joke at this point that they often struggle to hear me during meetings.
It’s not that I’m painfully soft-spoken. In the right crowd, with the right people (heyyyy fellow introverts wassup) I’m loud enough. But put me among extroverts with booming voices, and suddenly I’m a whisper in the wind. Yet here I was, needing to command the room while my voice was fading as time passed.
By the time I got home, I was done. Completely depleted. After Isha, I got into bed, closed my eyes, and the next thing I knew… it was suhoor. My body simply shut down.
Keeping Food Simple
As for eating, it’s still the same rhythm as last week. Whatever fuels and nourishes. No frills, no overindulgence (although I made daltjies once, but everything in moderation hey). But we’ve mainly just had food that serves its purpose and helps us function.
Two Weeks In
Outside of that marathon-of-a-meeting, the first two weeks have been calming. Well there were some things that tested me but more about that…well never. It’s done and processed and we move on with life.
Your Turn
Tell me about your Ramadan. What do your days feel like; what have you been eating; what’s been challenging; and what’s been bringing you peace?
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