🌈 1440 – Saturday, 19 September 2026, 23:30
London
Sitting at my desk in Knightsbridge. It has just started raining outside, or rather, spitting. The weather is quite mild, and it has been like this all week. Earlier this evening, it was actually quite warm. I only had two layers on, but I was still hot.
The weather is going crazy, just like my mind these days.
Today was another beautiful, beautiful, beautiful day.
Woke up around 07:50 without the alarm. Looked out of the window and everything outside seemed still, quiet and cloudy. But I was neither cold nor hot in bed.
Started the day by saying Bismillah, then read a ruku of Surah Baqara and a page of Injeel in bed, followed by Dad’s good morning prayer message.
There was a sense of solace in me this morning when I got up. Perhaps it was because I had a long conversation with both my siblings last night.
Around 21:30 last night, I had a call from my brother. When I answered, it was actually both my brother and sister together on the group call, and they had added me to it. It had certainly been at least two years since the three of us had spoken together like that. Every time we spoke before, usually our parents accompanied us in the group.
I don’t know how that happened – how they both ended up on the call and then added me – I asked them, “What secrets were you guys talking about?”
We had a laugh and a good catch-up.
It was almost 02:00 for my sister in Hyderabad and she was still up because my brother-in-law was still working US hours. It was 23:30 for my brother in Riyadh, and he was out, going to meet his pal Zulfi. It was around 21:30 for me, and I told them I had just finished dinner and was chilling at home.
We spoke mostly about our parents, home, this and that – just a general catch-up.
That was last night.
This morning, I was feeling good, but I kind of had to drag myself out of bed. After my affirmations and everything, I went to the loo and then sat and meditated for about 15 minutes, doing 40 Surah Fatiha.
Then I got ready to leave home in just tracksuit bottoms, a jumper, a T-shirt and shorts underneath.
Left home around 09:40.
I had a quick chat with my housemate on the stairs. She was like, “Oh… I was thinking of you. I haven’t seen you in a while.”
I said to her, “Yeah, all okay, just hanging in. I just got up and I’m going to try and eat the frog first thing in the morning.”
She was like, “My version of eating the frog is eating an alien.”
She said she had done her errands in the kitchen, and that was her version of eating the alien – getting the unwanted, or rather the hard task, done first thing so that once it was completed, nothing else would matter.
For me, it was that while I still had the strength of the early morning, I wanted to go to the gym and have a good workout. For her, it was getting some errands done in the kitchen.
We wished each other a good day and left home to get on with whatever we had planned.
When I left home, it was actually quite warm outside. I had been feeling cold at home, but outside was quite warm. I was glad I had left home.
Got to the gym at a decent time, around 10:00-something, and had a really, really, really, really, really good workout.
Did an upper-body shoulder workout – four sets of 8, 6, 4 and 4 reps of each exercise:
Dumbbell shoulder press
Dumbbell lateral raises
Rear delt flyes
Dumbbell front raises
Dumbbell shrugs
Had a shower and headed back home. Stopped at Sainsbury’s on the way for some apples and oranges, then went straight home.
After the workout, I ate beef and rice for a meal. I was feeling good on my way home, walking back.
The rest of the morning was chilled. I just stayed in reading, writing, scrolling, watching this and that until around 14:00.
Then I took a 20-minute nap.
I had just woken up when Mum rang. She was at home with my little nephew and niece, who were playing around. We had a quick chat and catch-up, and everything was okay.
I told her, “I’m just taking a rest now. I’ll head to Knightsbridge this evening and have my dinner there.”
We had a quick chat and said our goodbyes.
Then I sat at the desk for an hour or so, just browsing and doing errands.
Then I took a second nap in the late afternoon, until around 16:30.
A quick, uneventful and chilled day.
I wish every day could be as chilled as today.
I hope you had a good day, perhaps a little more eventful than mine. But hey ho! Every day is a new beginning, a new lesson and a new chapter.
And we’re all the heroes of our own movie.
My movie today was quite chilled, and perhaps tomorrow might bring some adventure. Who knows?
The anticipation and the hope are what keep humans going.
So let’s look forward to a new beginning tomorrow, filled with love, laughter and adventure.
3 things I felt grateful for today
I was so grateful that I left home early in the morning for my workout.
So grateful for the long chat with both my dear, loving sister and brother yesterday. My brother is going home to our parents on 2 October, about 14 days from today.
So grateful that it was quite a chilled day, and I’m glad to have had such an easy day.
What would it take for me and for you to wake up 10 times bigger, thicker, leaner, more muscular, more energetic, confident, happy and grateful, wake up early tomorrow, have a good workout, have everything be okay with family, friends and everyone around us, and then have a relaxing, relaxing, relaxing yet productive day tomorrow?
Goodnight, good luck!
Ash Khaleem