Issue 008: A Blast from the Past and Reminders of Familiar Things

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In this Letter: Blast from the Past, Roses Everywhere, New Recipes, Interesting Tidbits

Assalam o Alaikum friend,

I stumbled upon my old YouTube videos last week.  No, not the Sunnah Living ones but the ones that I made in the beginning of my internet presence.  It was during my Henna Fixation days and I had recorded a treasure trove of videos for fellow henna business enthusiast.  My final video was in 2018 where I shared how my business was being effected by my then-recent Hashimoto’s diagnosis even as henna, in my own words, “energizes me”. 

It was a mixture of emotions to watch those videos of that season of my life, I must admit.  It was a younger me, a healthier me (in all but the final one), a more focused me, a fairly successful business-owner me, and dare I say it, a thinner me.  I saw a glimpse of Sunnah Living forming in there with the organization and reflection videos, and enjoyed watching some of the vlogs that I had done of doing henna in festivals. 

While going through them, I realized how much that I have been able to accomplish, learn from, grow through, and live with.  There were difficult times and easy ones, but looking back at it even the most difficult ones feels rewarding. It also made me reflect on the many different ways we can be doing charitable work that may or may not involve actual money.  I feel that my videos are a way of sharing knowledge with others who may be looking to start their own henna business.  I still get some questions in the comments which I respond to once every year 😅 but I’m amazed by how much I was able to record in a video format that people can watch and benefit from, Alhumdulillah. May Allah accept the good we do, Ameen.

Alhumdulillah for opportunities and making the best of what we have.  This season of life is about getting a masters degree and I know that, just as before, there will be difficult times and easy ones.  I am looking forward to saying “Alhumdulillah” for this entire journey as well, insha’Allah.

Something for you to think about: What sadaqah jariya (continuous charity) are you leaving behind?  For me, I see Sunnah Living as carrying that potential and I am wondering how I can keep doing good through it for Allah’s sake.

• 01 // A Scenic Break

I saw the Fedex delivery guy through the windows leave the package at our front door and head towards the stair well.  Just before heading down the stairs, he paused for a few seconds and looked out towards the open ground covered with grass, weeds, trees, and other desert vegetation sprawled under the blue desert sky.  He looked at it for a moment, possibly took a breath or two and then headed downstairs, back to work. That pause was endearing and totally relatable.  

• 02 // A Cool New Timer

If you are familiar with the pomodoro technique, then you know how effective it can be to tackle big tasks.  I have been a fan of it for quite a number of years, referring to it every time that I need to do significant tasks.  I recently used this technique for some sponsorship campaigns this past year and now I am turning to it often with school.  Another solution was working before but now that the study sessions are longer, I wanted to get something that can handle the task and this new timer is exactly what I was looking for.  This is a visual timer routinely advertised to use with children for visual reminders of time.  It has three sound settings with one being silent and another very minimally intrusive, and it can be set to run several intervals which is something its competitor was not able to offer.  

• 03 // New Recipes

Last week, I tried my hand at some new things in the kitchen while the workload was still low and these recipes are now printed into my recipe folder.

• Beef Barbacoa: I used one pound of beef chuck steak for this one, cut into large chunks.  Keep an eye on it if you are using a smaller amount than the recipe asks for and check it every hour while it sits in the oven. I made the mistake of letting it sit for the entire time and it was an instant regret! The dish was barely saved, however, and the flavor was delicious.

• Instant Pot Whole Masoor Dal: Tea for Turmeric is my the go-to blog for Pakistani recipes that my non-cooking-loving-self can easily understand.  This recipe was a winner just like all of the ones that I have tried by Izzah before.  One thing to remember is to pay attention at the end, the daal ended up sticking.
• Raw Tahini Chocolate Cookie Bite: Okay this one I actually didn’t end up making because I received these from my previous herbalist in the mail. Rest assured, they are happening this weekend for some energy snack breaks during next week.

• 04 // Future Letters

Speaking of next week, the study schedule is about to get hectic.  I took a head start this week for the next unit and know the weeks are going to get very busy a lot quicker than I’d like them to. Depending on my schedule, I may write these letters to you bi-weekly from now but if you do find me in the inbox sooner than that, then know that I missed you and couldn’t wait much longer!

• 05 // Roses Everywhere

I am not sure what the message was but I ended up getting rose-scented-everything this season. Well, I do miss the smell of flowers! It also reminds me of chirping birds, that and the flowers are two of the things that are lacking here but were abundant in our previous home. The roses are following me everywhere and I am not at all sad for it. 

• 06 // Interesting Tidbits
  • The cleanest bagels that I have ever seen, and ones that I enjoyed after not having any for at least 5 years.  Use the link to get 15% off your first order.
  • An interactive 3D visualization of the universe. You can choose a star to learn more about and see a glimpse into the Glory of Allah ﷻ. 
  • This website for quick, random 10-minute games to pass the time, if you need to. 

This was it, my friend.  I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter as much as I enjoyed writing it.  If you have any feedback on how I can improve these to make them more enjoyable for you then please share them in the comments. 

I hope this week you can find some moments to truly breathe.

With love,

Samia