Push yourself to be better everyday!

🌈 1361 – Thursday, 3 July 2025 23:57

London

By the time I started writing this, it was already past midnight. I had just finished a quick catch-up with my brother. He reminded me that tomorrow is the 9th and 10th of Muharram – Yaum-e-Ashura. Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar, and these two days are deeply significant.

He told me we should fast tomorrow, and since I agreed, I suppose I will. Life brings surprises. I was planning to work from home tomorrow – Friday – and then head into the weekend with nothing planned. But now, life has slotted something sacred in that space: fasting. When I speak to my parents on the phone and tell them, “No, I didn’t eat – I was fasting,” it brings them so much joy.

I’ve never quite understood why these traditions are so deeply embedded in the hearts of our elders. But it’s always been that way.

I remember a neighbour lady who used to live on our street. During Ramadan, she’d see us kids outside and ask, “Have you fasted today?” Every single day. And on the days we hadn’t, we’d hide because we didn’t want to face her disappointment. Then, one day, she passed away. Not long after, her husband did too.

They had two daughters. The younger one, Asma, was in my sister’s class – everyone called her Chukka. She was a star. She eventually got her dad’s job and got married. The older daughter, Ashamma, was… well, a bit mad, living with her uncle. We all grew up on the same street. It was a different kind of closeness back then.

Wherever you are, Aunt Amani and Uncle Khamar Ali, thank you. You helped keep us in line in ways that shaped us. I send love to you and to your children who may still be on this earth. I’m not even sure why you came to mind tonight, but maybe it’s just your time to be remembered. Maybe it’s just my way of making sure that somewhere, somehow, your presence still echoes through time.

I remember once, when I was around seven years old, I had a rough day at school. I cried at lunchtime, quietly. When I got home around 5 PM, I passed her sitting by her door. She looked at me and asked, “Are you okay? Why were there water in your eyes?” My own mother didn’t notice – but she did. That’s how deeply she cared, even if we weren’t her own.

She really was such a kind lady. I always thought she was beautiful, deserving of the best.

Her family lived nearby, too, on the next street. Her brother’s wife left him because he was gay. He later adopted a girl named Sameena, who grew up with us as well. The brother passed away. His mother passed away. Now, only the kids remain.

For some reason, a song is just popping into my head:

What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us Just a stranger on the bus Trying to make His way home…

It’s 12:52 AM now. One friend would tell me, “Go to sleep early.” Another would remind me, “Eat early if you’re fasting.” And Mum, of course, reminded me to fast. Today has been full of little reminders.

Anyway.. Today morning, I woke up early. Read Dad’s good morning prayer message in bed, did my affirmations, then meditated. Left the house – it was a beautiful day outside. The Sun was out and quite a warm day.

Got to the gym by 08:10 AM and had a solid upper body session. My mate was there, so we had a laugh in between sets. I did 4 sets of 11 reps each: pull-ups, barbell shoulder press, dumbbell lateral raises, front raises, and hammer curls.

Came home, ironed my shirt, showered, had breakfast, and put on cream-colored trousers with a matching shirt. Biked to work. Got there decent time and the work day went smoothly.

At noon, had to visit another office building for work. On the way, phoned parents for a quick catch-up. Thankfully, at the other building, I managed to mind my own business there without interruptions – it saved me time. Had lunch around 12:15, Tuna salad, stayed there till 4 PM, then returned to my desk and worked until 18:00 sharp.

It was still gorgeous outside. After work, I rode my bike from Westminster to Edgware Road – I wanted to grab some fresh butcher’s meat. The butchers there are good.

Came back, took a short 20-minute nap. Woke up at 19:30, made dinner, and then watched the second half of a movie I had started yesterday. Around 22:10, I sat at my desk to get a bit more work done.

Now… just sitting down to write a bit before heading to bed. How was your day? What did you get up to? Did you argue with anyone? Learn anything new? Life is really just a series of lessons – and until we truly learn them, we tend to keep attracting the same experiences, all to help us grow. One way to break that cycle is to avoid negative thinking. And to avoid negative thinking, we need to learn to watch the mind – catch it in the act, mid-thought, and ask ourselves, “What was I even thinking?” Don’t let your mind run wild. Stay present. Stay aware.

Around the world today –

• Israel–Palestine War: There’s momentum toward a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. The U.S.-backed proposal has seen Israel agree to the terms, and Hamas has responded positively, though negotiations continue in Doha and Cairo. (Reuters)

• Russia–Ukraine War: Russia launched its largest drone and missile attack on Kyiv so far. Fighting also escalated in Sumy, Chasiv Yar, and Vesele, though Ukraine held its ground and launched some counterstrikes. (Nypost)

• Artificial Intelligence: The European Commission confirmed the AI Act will be enforced on schedule. General-purpose AI regulations start in August 2025, and high-risk model rules by August 2026 – despite tech industry pushback.

3 things I’m grateful for today –

• Graeful for my little red bike.

• Graeful for the decent tuna and lentils I ate for lunch.

• Grateful I got a weekend ahead of no plans.

What would it take – for me and for you – to wake up tomorrow 10x stronger, more muscular, more energetic, confident, grateful, happy, healthy… To wake up early, get to the gym, have a good workout, everything to be okay with family, friends and everyone around, then have a relaxing, relaxing, relaxing both mentally and physically, yet a productive day tomorrow?

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Goodnight, good luck.

– Ash Khaleem