Tranquility

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh all :) how's your weekend going?

Alhamdulillah. This weekend has been more of an easy one. I went yesterday to jummah prayer with one sister, met some more at the masjid, and then we went for a coffee/matcha and cake in a cafe afterwards. Nice day and even though I had this awkward feel about myself, I didn't have much anxiety and was able to enjoy the day. Today I just went for groceries, and then just hang out at home. It's one of these times when things seem smooth and easy, so alhamdulillah. I am thankful for this because things can change and trials and difficulties wait for their turn. We should all be thankful, and remember our sisters and brothers who struggle, may it be more publicly or a private, silent battle.

I added a charity link on my Instagram @cupofteawithaisha, it's part of MATW Project's program and directed to the orphans of our ummah, you'll find it in my bio. Making the donation is very simple, especially if you have a PayPal account, it's just one click and that's it. 

...

So welcome to the sofa corner, key words this evening are peppermint tea, black hoodie and baati, ear buds and a relaxed, easy mind. I am so used to write about some issues or problems that bother me, that making a happy post is not that easy to make, hehe. Sometimes these type of problems.. I don't want to rub  on anyone's face that hey, I'm doing so well and everything is wonderful, I actually am not so used to having this peaceful mind and easy days, so it just kinda feels like a thing I want to share. I hope you will also have lots of good days which will lighten your weeks. In sha Allah.

What I can do, is tell you what lead to this better feel. Well, actually I guess partly it comes and goes, and what I do or don't doesn't always affect my mood so much. But also I have actively worked on it, and I'm happy it bears fruit too. 

So I have told you about my struggles with my imaan, and now I have come to the point where I'm finally looking for the healing. I have listened and read Qur'an, and met sisters, made more du'aa and tried to be more sincere in my actions. I have taken islam back to my daily life and thoughts. Not only mumbling bismillah before eating, even though that matters, but really putting my heart and mind into focusing on the faith. Or maybe even I'd say I've just given the space for myself and let the words of Allah swt do the rest. It's good to listen to Qur'an while out, and while hanging out at home. Also sister company does so much ♥ it feels a little easier to be a muslim again. And distancing myself from social media and just taking time to reflect has been good. I like the vibe of just listening to Qur'an and pondering about it and let also my physical body have the healing of the revelation. A very nice recitation video on Youtube is Omar Hisham al Arabi's Verses of Tranquility, very peaceful, beautiful reminders.

...

Should we do a favorite list? A little relief to the serious subjects. Here we go, late summer fave list:

1. Olivia's lip balm

I didn't wanna order lip balm from Avril now, so I checked the local supermarket's offering (Prisma), and this was on the bottom shelf, price under 2e for a two pack. (!) I threw away the package already, but this lip balm doesn't contain any mineral oil, instead it has a lot of natural ingredients like castor oil, avocado oil and shea butter. They have watermelon and strawberry as options, I took strawberry. The scent is very light, the actual balm is light pink but doesn't give any color. Can give the other one to hubby, hehe. Very soft and nice feeling on the lips and lasts long. 

2. Fresh vegetables and fruits

I hope we all can enjoy these. I'm not so good at getting all my daily vitamins, I do eat salad at dinner, but I hardly eat fresh vegetables, have to admit. Today I bought a bunch of them, and just sliced them and dipped, and it's delicious. Feels good to eat healthy, this is something I need to remind myself of. Then hubby went to market too and brought a whole bag of fruits and vegetables, ma sha Allah. Now we have apples for all of the evenings, bunch of apricots, lots of bell & sweet peppers and herbs, etc. Alhamdulillah. 

3. Less shopped clothes

Yes, I have been following my own '3 second hand clothing items a month' rule. And I'm still on the 5 new pieces a year challenge. I am being more patient, and more I check on my favorites on Vinted, I notice that I don't need them as bad as I easily think. I do find so nice things though! I was once dreaming of having my own second hand shop, where I would've sold curated pieces of clothing, pottery and other things. Well, there's still time, hehe. But yeah, minimalism is my true passion and that too, needs reminding sometimes. It's better to have less, that makes you also appreciate more of everything you have. And clothes are meant to be loved and reworn time after time.

...

I even get sleepy, that's how peaceful this evening is. But it's now past maghrib time, so I need to go to pray. I hope you have a good evening. Later then,

Aisha