Let's start a revolution!

Exhibit A: My khuffain - AKA leather socks:

They're the perfect accompaniment to lounge wear.  Okay, okay, I'm only calling my pajamas "lounge wear" because it sounds that much more sophisticated.  Let's try that again, without the element of deception.  

They're the perfect accompaniment to my pajamas- which are obviously the clothing of choice when you're on hols and your To Do List looks like this:  

Winter Hols To Do List:

1. RELAX

2. See 1.

Okay, fine. You got me again.  My list actually has 32 items on it...but I wish it looked like this one! But, I digress.  [Hold on a sec...what was I supposed to be talking about again?!?]  The khuffain, right.  

So, they're perfect when you're at home and if your house is ancient like ours is, and in spite of having the heat on AND carpeting that covers EVERY - SINGLE- square inch of the home, you still get cold...here is the solution, my friends. 

I usually wear ankle socks underneath and pop these on top. They keep my feet warm and dry...plus I cleverly evade the dreaded getting-your-feet-wet-because-you-need-to-make-whudu-before-fajr situation.  Don't you just hate that feeling?

You know what I'm talking about!  You've been snoozing along, all nice and toasty when your fajr alarm rudely interrupts that wonderful dream you've been having.  [Tangent: If you're like Sarky Devotchka, your idea of a wonderful dream might include a suspenseful, bone-chilling chase down a dark alleyway as you attempt to escape your kidnapper.]  So, anyways, your feet are all nice and toasty and now you've got to get up and get them cold again.  

Enter the Awesome Khuffain.  

Do your masaah over them, and you're good to go.   Not to mention the added benefit of reviving a forgotten Sunnah!  *Double High-Five!*

And now you're going to give me a "but" aren't you?  You're thinking, "This girl is whack...I've never seen a GIRL wearing khuffain before!"  Sadly, you may be right.  And that's why I say we start a revolution: a hijabi wearing khuffain revolution!  

After all, it's not fair for the Brothers to keep such an awesome secret to themselves, right?  :P

-----

N.B.  The rulings on khuffain differ depending on the interpretation.  One should consult a local imam/Shaykh or a reputable book of Fiqh.  See: SunniPath for more info.

...almost there

Inevitably, you know what I'm talking about.

It's the end of the semester crunch, and man, if this picture doesn't exemplify my very typical student life, I don't know what does!



Look carefully.  Did you notice the smaller sign by the black car?

That's right, only FIVE days left until the start of hols!

But let's not get ahead of ourselves now...still got a major paper to write.

And YOU!  Don't even pretend you're taking a break from studying to read this post.  You've been youtubing, facebooking and blog browsing all along, haven't you?  (Insert sneaky smile)

Yay for graduation...?

I have been feeling quite unsettled these past few weeks, more so than usual, and I've pinpointed the cause of these feelings to my steadily approaching graduation date from university. Having spent almost 17 years in continuous education, I'm not quite sure how to live life without school.

The obvious next step after graduation is getting a job, but I really don't want a 9-5 monotonous job where the only thing that keeps me going is the thought of the approaching weekend and payday. They say to find a job you're passionate about, but let's be realistic, there are only so many jobs out there where your passion can provide a decent income. I'm sure everyone would love to be a professional photographer for the National Geographic's, but such an industry is incredibly limited in available opportunities. I'm afraid I'll end up in one of those administrative office jobs where I input data for the rest of my life, and I will slowly degenerate into a cranky old lady who complains about work everyday and talks for hours about what her cats did the other night.

Where will I find my satisfying job? I'm not really sure. Which is why I made a resolution (not that anything ever accrues from these resolutions). Nonetheless, my resolution for the future is that if I ever end up in a job that I hate, I will quit, providing I can afford to quit, which effectively means I won't be able to quit, which makes my resolution pointless. Okay, not the best idea, but if you really really disliked your job, and quit without having reassurance that you will find another job, would you risk being poor for the sake of your sanity?

I really don't know.

Story of My Life

Credit: Ryan Selvy at ryanselvy.tumblr.com/

Replace "party time" with "I have no clue how I just wasted x hours", and there you have it folks, story of my life.  

Total time management fail. 

Which reminds me, I should be sleeping. :P

Something not so mundane...

It’s been a while since I’ve gathered the courage to contribute here...

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to get my ideas together so what I say doesn’t sound like a rant...

AND

It’s been a while since I was called a racist name.

Yes fellow readers, indeed it is true. Welcome Mussafira to the current day and age where things are not necessarily what they seem...where appearances are often deceiving and where you should know better then to judge a book by its cover...

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of racism. I think living in the country and more importantly the city that I do, I’ve truly been blessed to have faced very little, if any such experiences at all throughout my childhood/teen years. This is especially significant, considering I’ve attended arguably some of the most Caucasian schools and classes in the multicultural metropolitan mega-city I call home. And perhaps what’s recently sheltered me away from any form of racism whatsoever is the extremely culturally diverse environment I found myself in for my undergrad. Here, the ‘visible minority’ was and is in fact the ‘visible majority’ as is happening in various cities across the world.

That being said, someone, somewhere and sometime ago told me that Racism is not very obvious, if you ever experience it, know that it’s actually quite subtle. For example, compare the following situation: being called DIRTY PAKI vs. Being the only one NOT invited to a party at work. No, no, that’s not a fair example, because oh wait, maybe they just ‘forgot’ to cc you on the invite email or maybe your email is still on its way. Better yet, maybe you’ve been there for only 6 months, so you’re actually quite the newbie and so yes OF COURSE the event co-ordinator forgot to invite you.

Maybe, but maybe not. Regardless, being called names is an OBVIOUS form of racism, whereas something like the scenario above could be a SUBTLE form of racism or a mere coincidence. Only God really knows. Unfortunately, a couple of weeks ago, I experienced the former type of racism. Given the name-caller’s age and possible socio-economic status, it really did NOT surprise me, and I really should not have been effected at all. But truth be told, it got me thinking and I interestingly enough could not recall a single time in my life where I was discriminated against so openly like that (Alhamdullilah - all praise be to God). Perhaps what’s most interesting is that it happened in the very neighbourhood I have lived in for over 15 years. This neighbourhood, probably the only place I could ever call home, boasts signs of ‘Mosaic’ along the major commercial street, it has elected a city councillor who herself is probably a first or second generation citizen and many agree that it really is a truly multicultural area where most get along quite well.

So then why the name-calling? Should I be worried? Or will this young adult mature and become more professional and culturally-aware one day? Can I rationalize or legitimize his racial slur in any way?

Maybe, but maybe not. I guess only time will tell... In the meantime, I've been told that reminders are good for everyone, especially the believer, so here's a reminder for myself before you: "O men! Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware." - Surah Al-Hujurat (49:13)

Why keep non-Muslim company, anyway?

I think we’ve all felt it sometimes, when you’re in a public place and you ‘feel’ someone staring at you... So you look up, and lo and behold there’s a gaze that instantly turns away. Who was that creepy non-Muslim who was just staring? (Well, let’s hope they were non-Muslim anyway :P). What did they want?

Turns out, maybe they weren’t really so creepy, and all they wanted was to observe a Muslim a little, maybe get to know the person, maybe talk to them a little.

I have a few non-Muslim friends with whom I stay in regular (and halal!) contact with from time to time. One of the really important things they’ve taught me is that, non-Muslims are, for the most part, REALLY interested in different religions and the whole idea of religion itself! I recently have had a discussion with them about the idea of ‘religion’ which sparked from their interest in Lauren Booth’s (former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s sister-in-law’s) conversion to Islam. What surprised me is that they don’t quite seem to see the need of having the presence of a religion in your life at all, forget the type of religion! To add to this, I don’t think any of them are actually atheist either! This really amazed me and I didn’t quite know how to counter their arguments...

What I do know is that I never would have had the opportunity to discuss the notion of religion with them in the first place if I hadn’t really gotten to know them a bit better. I completely see the benefit and the importance of having good Muslim company, but I also feel that if we open up to non-Muslims a little, get to know them a little, obviously in a halal way, get them to see our religion through their eyes rather than through what they’ve heard from others, then there’s a lot of benefit that both groups can draw.

Maybe we forget sometimes that we are living in the West for peaceful da’wah purposes before anything else. But, how can da’wah be as effective as it can be if we don’t first try and represent our religion in the best way possible and then try to understand the thinking of the non-Muslims?

Take my case for instance, before I can really try and talk about Islam some more, I think my job is to try and get them to see the need of ANY religion!
May Allah SWT help us to be true ambassadors of Islam with the right intentions and grant us the wisdom to be as effective as possible in our da’wah purposes. Aameen.

The more things change, the more they remain the same?

I've got a personal blog that I go back to time to time.  Some days, it feels like I'm reading someone else's thoughts, and at other times it simply feels like my life is nothing but an endless cycle of similar events.  


Like right now.  


And these emotions and feelings that come with being in such a familiar place are akin to that deja-vu experience. 

I wrote a post in May 2008 that's resonating with me so deeply right now...and here it is:
_______________________________________________________________


There's a steady, small wave of change brewing. 


Everyone's moving to a different phase,
a different place in their lives. 


Smiles. Tears. Shouts. Laughs. 
It's all part of the commotion. 


This may be the final summer. I don't think it's hit me yet.
This may be the *final* summer.


Volunteering gigs, work, Uni. 
Maybe even the deck days and slurpee nights. 


Who knows where I'll be this time next year. 


Or who I'll be.


Today, a shaykh spoke about the importance of istikhara- a means of consultation with Allah the Almighty. Often, people associate istikhara with a big decision-whether it be marriage, a house, a car, or a degree. 


But this supplication was taught by the Prophet (saw) to the Sahaba in the same manner as a surah of the Quran. And the utmost importance that was given to learning a surah is well known. "Convey to Me, even a verse", says Allah SWT. 


So why have we demoted the istikhara to an occasional duaa? A form of insurance so that we can retort, "But my istikhara was positive!". 


The istikhara was meant to be a daily supplication. Everything from choosing the right microwave, to which road to take. If you look at the translation of the duaa, it's beauty is simply magnificent. 

Oh Allah! I seek Your guidance by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power; I have none. And You know; I know not. You are the Knower of hidden things. 

Oh Allah! If in Your knowledge, (this matter*) is good for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs, immediate and in the future, then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge, (this matter*) is bad for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs, immediate and in the future, then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it. And ordain for me the good wherever it may be, and make me content with it. 

It fills a believer with hope. 


And with the realization that Allah alone knows what is best for us. The Shaykh also said that once a person has made istikhara, he should realise that Allah will look after him. 


And if read with firm conviction, tawakkul and love, the person will neither regret his decison, nor will he face failure. Further, Allah will make his task easier for him.


Sa’ d ibn Waqas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said,
“Istikharah (seeking guidance from Allah) is one of the distinct favors (of Allah) upon man, and a good fortune for the son of Adam is to be pleased with the judgment of Allah. And a misfortune of the son of Adam is his failure to make istikharah (seeking Allah’s guidance), and a misfortune for the son of Adam is his displeasure with the judgment of Allah.”


Ibn Taimiyyah said, “He who seeks guidance from the Creator and consults the creatures will never regret it.”


May Allah SWT make this noble gift a part of our daily lives. And may He give us serenity and peace in our times of turbulent change. Ameen.




[P.S.  There's an excellent book on Istikhara that I routinely go back to time and time again.  It's a short, easy read and very well written.  See:  Moulana Abu Usama Ayub (2005). Istikhara, in Light of Sunnah and Qura'an.  Academy for Islamic Research.  Available here.]


--------------------------------------------
What about you?  Do you ever feel like everything's just a whirlwind of change around you?
How often do you get that deja-vu feeling?

Overreacting?

We hear it all the time that while one person is leaving this world another one somewhere is entering… I’ve never experienced both at once, but today in the wee hours of the morning that’s exactly what happened…

My best-friends older sister gave birth to a healthy baby boy Allhamdulillah but around that very same time an incredibly patient, amazing and well loved sister from my community passed away (innalillahi wainna ilayhi rajioon)

I didn’t know her personally, but her reputation as a patient and kind woman was well known all over the community. Her Janazah (Arabic for funeral) today was a testimonial to the love everyone had for her, subhanAllah I’ve never seen this many people at a funeral in my life… my local masjid is quite big and we have two reasonably large sized rooms in the basement for the sisters and today they were PACKED to such an extent that many sisters had to remain standing. It made me so happy that so many sisters came to pay their respects and say ‘Ameen’ to the prayer of forgiveness for our beloved sister, but a small incident spoiled this feeling of pride that I felt over seeing the love and support that our sisters showed by attending...

While the Janazah Slaah (Funeral Prayers) was going on, two sisters were TALKING about someone who was going back home to get MARRIED… I’m happy for whoever this person is but speaking in such loud voices that although there were quite a few people between us I could hear what they were saying clearly as though I was right beside them upset me. I totally understand that marriage is a joyous occasion but in my humble opinion it’s not so important that you speak about it while we’re praying and seeking forgiveness for a sister that was living and breathing alongside us just yesterday.

I’m not so sure if I’m overreacting (I tend to do that at times) but after the prayers I felt like finding this sister and just asking why she did what she did. Did she not realize that one day people would be praying for her? That one day she will be in this very same place and the prayers will be taking place for her? I’m sure at that point she would rather have people praying for her than discussing a potential marriage! So why did she not do what she would have wanted done for herself in this situation, for a sister who’s already in it?

I’m no perfect person, far from it. I seem to make mistakes every second of my life but to show such blatant disrespect for such an amazing sister hurt me in an indescribable way and every time I think about the funeral and our deceased sister I seem to hear this other sisters words echoing in my head and it makes my blood boil once again :$

I just can’t seem to understand why people act in a manner that they would surely not like in someone else. But then I remember a hadith of our dear Prophet (peace be upon him) narrated by Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) which has been transmitted in Abu Dawud:

“A believer is a mirror for another believer”

So I remind myself that before I go and look at the faults of others, I should change myself first...

***A Request*** Please do remember this lovely sister in your prayers and those she’s left behind; her husband, her one and only son, her mother, her sisters, her brother, her nieces and nephews, her friends, her neighbors subhanAllah she’s left behind so many people who are truly going to miss her... People who love her and who I’m sure will remember her with every step they take… for she was a rare individual who forgot her own problems to help out another human in need. May Allah (swt) grant her and all the rest of us the highest abode in Jannah (Paradise) - Ameen

Ch-Ching....or NOT

I want to work in a place where I wake up smiling because it is FINALLY Monday! I've been thinking about this a lot because for the first time I've actually gotten a job. I wasn't the typical teenager who started working in grade 9 at some local retail place, no I was that teenager who eagerly applied every summer only to face rejection from potential employers one after another. Until Now. You'd think I'd be over the moon, finally after 7 years of constantly applying I'd finally gotten a job! I was finally good enough and not just for any job but for an 'office' job at some 'big' corporation for Co-Op! Well let me tell you, I was over the moon, from all the places that I had applied this was the only one I'd actually wanted, but now after being there for just over 6 months...the honeymoon was over. It's been long over. I hate having to get up EVERY day, never being able to skip just cuz. I hate sitting in a cubicle staring at a screen for so long my eyes hurt. I hate seeing my social life diminishing. But mostly I just plain hate work.

It's not so much WHAT I do but more WHY I do it. I don't believe in the purpose of my company, which is like most corporations to make a profit.

Because of my education choices, It won't be easy to find a job where I feel as if I'm making a difference. I'm not a nurse or a social worker so I feel as though I have to work harder to find a company that I believe in. I want to share their values and see their vision become a reality. I want to help them change the world for the better.

So really, even if I'm doing mundane tasks that I hate, if I'm doing it for the right reasons I think I'll wake up every day with a smile on. I like seeing the big picture, I just hate it when I don't believe in it.


** I was going to post the my cubicle parody, but found this and though it was soo much cooler!

You know when time goes by really really slow and it feels like its never going to end??? Thats what it feels like right now. I had a busy week this week with midterms and papers and ever since last week I was looking forward to the end of this week when I could FINALLY relax and eat some Kernals popcorn.

And here I am SO SO close to the end of this week.

Yet still so far

My paper is due tonight 1 minute before midnight. ooooo so dramatic these people are.

Anyways I'm done I just have to do the conclusion but I feel like I did a bad job on it and the thing is I don't know how to make it better. And really I don't care I just want to hand it in now. But I can't because the little voice in my head likes "you better make it prefect before you submit it" and im like "uuggghh whatever little voice in my head. i hate you"

So heres something totally bizzare. like getting hit by lighting. Its a true story. It happened to a friend of a friend of mine. haha no not really. it happened to one of my instructor's family members.

So heres the story:

This lady is sitting on a hammock and then one of the trees thats holding the hammock up FALLS DOWN!! And because she was sitting not lying down in it, the tree cut off the side of one of her legs! like CHOPPED IT RIGHT OFF!! it was really gruesome, we got to see lots of pictures. I'm sure nobody wants to see any of those gruesome pictures so instead ill put this one. Im sure im not the only feeling it.

oh Saudi...

(Makkah 2011 - after completion of construction)

Where to begin when speaking of Saudi?

I recently had the good fortune to have gone to umrah and for those of you who have not been, I can tell you, alot of what the Saudis do just dosen't make any sense. First off, there is the issue of the current reconstruction of Makkah, which I really really really dislike (except for the extension of the masjid itself, this is definitly needed). I understand the need to "modernize", as many of the buildings were worn down and in dire conditions, however, there is a way to modernize without making the place a generic steel city. When the construction is complete, half of Makkah will be populated with the same generic 50 story hotels, there will be no greenery, no seating areas, no palm trees! All the little nooks and cranny's have already disappeared, there are no more intricate alleyways, hidden shops, or obscure shawarmas. It was precisely these little things which gave culture and life to the streets; shopping was not just an activity it was an experience, and that experience unfortunately is hardly existent now. All the shops -and alot of the street life-have gone hibernating in concrete malls, and the new construction only has plans for more.

I realize that shopping and cultural experience is not the point of going to Makkah, nevertheless, that does not mean I submissively approve of Makkah being turned into a mall populated steel city.

Well that's the end of my little rant...for now...

The Joys of Public Transportation

When you're taking public transportation almost daily, you start noticing things.  Enough to perhaps write a book some day.  But, for now, here's just a snapshot of the many amusing things you might notice. [Note that the following are all real situations, as much as I'd like to believe otherwise.]

1. Lady is holding a newspaper with one hand, and the other hand has a tiny container of trail mix or something of the like.  Every so often, she hold the container up to her mouth, sticks out her tongue and scoops up some of the mix with her very long tongue.  Can you picture this?  I've seen infants eat better!
2. First you hear a cough.  Then a hacking cough.  And then the really deep, mucous-y hacking cough. Coughing doesn't stop.  And the cringing doesn't stop, because guess what?  The cougher's letting it all spray out.  
3. Morning rush hour always means one thing: smelly armpits and body odour.  And when everyone's packed in like sardines and you're already late, you get real good at holding your breath. 
4. A middle-aged man gets on with a tiny dog.  He takes a long sweeping glance, and rather than sitting on one of the many empty seats, he plops himself onto the dirty floor.  Three stops later, he sees a used transfer lying a couple of feet away, and he scurries quickly to grab it.  He examines it, turns it over and then places it in his pocket.  Maybe he collects transfers?
5. An elderly man has obviously got a really bad flu/cold.  He's sneezing and wheezing, and wiping his nose.  With a Kleenex or handkerchief, you're presuming.  Sorry for the disappointment, ladies and gents.  No Kleenex, no hanky, not even his sleeve.  He gets up to walk towards the doors, grabbing on to the metal poles as he passes by, leaving nothing but the sheen of fresh snot glittering on the metal.  Fun.    
6. You'll like this one:  Toronto has a huge bed bug problem.  HUGE.  And get this, the reason the problem has spread so quickly is the big ol' TTC.  Yep.  I bet you'll think twice before hopping on a train during rush hour now, won't you?  :P

Moral of the story, boys and girls, is this:  After riding the Red Rocket (ha!), you really have no clue what you've touched, or who's touched it before you.  Happy scrubbing!

P.S.  The authour takes no responsibility for any possible ramifications of reading this post; this includes events such as becoming a germophobe, or obsessively refusing to ever ride the TTC again.

The Start

Everytime I start reading a new blog the first thing I do is go back to the first post to see an intro about the blogger . most of the time I don’t find anything. And I hate that. I want to know at least a little bit about the person. And the “About me” section doesn’t do any justice.

So instead of complaining about other people I will write my own intro post. Because remember what Ghandi said? Be the change you want to see. Haha ok here goes:

Who am i? Im just one girl in this big bad world

(thats lame yes I know)

So really who am i? I ‘m a city girl living in the big T dot O. I’m a nursing student and someone who loves to read fictional books, spend lots of time on youtube, really knows how to waste her time (although thats nothing unique I know), loves chocolate, can make a real good lemon meringue pie (I only made it once but it was really good!! ), loves to watch scary movies (especially around autumn), loves to travel (although I haven’t been in a long time), and hates studying.

I love the summer time, I hate using public transportation to get to school, I love watching the stars, my favourite colour is candy apple red (I recently discovered this colour) and I am really craving a hamburger right now.

I’m just trying to get it right. I know the person I want to be and I’m trying everyday to become that person.

I want to write about the things that inspire me, make me queasy, make me laugh, make me cry and just about this journey that we are all on.

It’s the start of something great. I can feel it.

New single by Native Deen really uplifting and awesome check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pAzX9VEciE

Things that don't make sense

List of things that Don't make sense to me:


1. Girls who wear short shorts/mini skirts in winter. Really? must you?...

2. Uggs. As their name implies, they are ugly. (no offense to anyone who wears uggs)

3. Genetically modified fruit. If I really want to eat a fruit that taste like apples and peaches, then I'll just eat an apple and a peach together.

4. Volkswagon beetle. They should have never brought it out from retirement

5. Excessive tanning. Cause cancer sure does look good!

6. Riding a bike in winter. I'll give you credit for this, but still, you're crazy.

7. Computers. I understand how computers work, but please explain to me how you can get a piece of metal and electricity to produce pictures/sounds/ etc?

8. Actually, technology in general, just doesn't make sense to me.

9. Ingrown hairs. Why would you grow out, then decide to turn back in?

10. Wanted to make it an even ten, but couldnt think of another one. I'm open to suggestions

Before it's too late...

I'm praying salaat, and I'm in the qiyam position reciting quraan.

As I finish, I say, "Allahu Akbar" and then bend over for ruku.

Except I can't.

I haven't even prayed one rakaat yet, and I can't bend for ruku.

I try harder, but it seems impossible.  As if something is pulling me back.

And then I suddenly realise that I've become disoriented and that direction really doesn't exist.

There is no up, down, right, left.

No direction.

I really want to continue my salaat and make this ruku.

But I can't.

----

And then my eyes open, and I think to myself, that the reason I couldn't make ruku was because I was lying down on a bed and that gravity was pulling me down.

And it was a short, but very vivid dream.

---

But what does it mean?

Make your ruku while you still can?  Offer you salaat while you still have the opportunity?

What if that was my last salaat, and I couldn't even complete it?

---

I have this poster on my door.  It says,

"Take benefit of five before five:

your youth before your old age,

your health before your sickness,

your wealth before your poverty,

your free time before you are preoocupied,

your life before your death."

It is a saying the merciful Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.)

---

The Little Things

I cut my finger tip with a mandoline. No one seems to know what I'm talking about when I refer to a mandoline; I think my own familiarity comes with years of having to make dawaat salads, and then learning the English term for it in my two-year stint at a kitchen gadget store.

So anyways, I cut my finger tip with it. It's really kinda gross.

 Although the pic is blurry, if you look closely, you can see that my finger nail has an unnatural crescent shaped cut.  And of course, you should be able to see the flesh, that looks kinda like blood in this picture; no blood, only the flesh.

Yuck.

I was slicing carrots, and talking to a family friend about ice cream or middle school or something like that. I was told to be careful, and I thought I was. But I inevitably sliced off the tip, as well as part of the nail of my right index finger.

It didn't help that the carrots were hanging out in cold water and that my own fingers were soft and supple from the water. It also didn't help that I hadn't trimmed my nails.

It didn't even hurt. It still doesn't. The bleeding didn't stop for another 3-4 hours, even with continuous pressure.

But I didn't want everyone to make a big deal out of it. So when the small band-aid didn't really work, I wadded a piece of paper towel and draped it in clear tape over my finger tip.

Little, little finger tip.

How insignificant you seem.

And yet.

I can't eat rice with my hands without you.

I can't rinse out my mouth without you.

I can't touch type without you.

I can't wash my hair without you, and I can't do dishes.

I can't even wash my face properly without you - unless I do that in the shower.

Little, little finger tip.

I hope you heal properly.

I've always been told that I have pretty hands. And nice nails.

And I don't want you to turn into a short stumpy rump of a finger tip. Or even a short, square finger nail.

I'm giving you all the TLC you need, so you better clean up well. And I'm giving you extra Germolene, so you better heal perfectly too.

-------------

Update:  The little finger tip healed completely, Allhumdulilah!  No scar...nothing.  :)

[From my personal archives: June 21-2010]