Do I Make You Proud?

Well it is with wonderful excitement that I share the results of my exams. I finished with top honors and will be graduating tomorrow, inshallah. Tears streamed down my cheeks when the doctor/professor handed me my test score revealing a 100% correct score, alhamdullilah.
I could not believe my eyes----I was speechless. For those that know me---that's a rarity. :-)

Truly, I probably would not have gone back to school if it wasn't for Amira. Without her even knowing it, she has causee me to be more than I ever imagined I could be and for that I'm eternally grateful.

I dedicate this song to her as well as to my parents.

The Heat Is On

Well as this week begins, it is more of the happenings of this week that have either a positive or negative effect on how this week ends. It is finals week. Wednesday evening I have my final practice exam and Thursday morning is the final written exam.

Although in many ways I'm looking forward to school coming to an end and in many ways it seems like forever, it is also coming to a close far too quickly. I know to some they will know exactly what I'm saying. It's wondering if you've learned enough, if you've mastered your field of experience enough to feel even remotely confident to now go out and market yourself to potential employers/clients. During one’s educational process with all of your other classmates that are essentially on the same page with you, we now come to a crossroad where that safety net of the classroom, the comfort of your classmates, the encouragement of your instructors are now swiftly removed from your sight, thus leaving you with a feeling of floundering and muttering all on your own. I imagine this must be what a bird feels like once it decides to leave the next for the very first time to attempt flying. Their confidence levels are so high stuck inside that nest day after day seeing their parents flying in and out of the next, and yet when they are standing on the very edge of the nest looking out in the vast world before them I wonder if there isn't a split second of fear as well as an under their breath muddle of "oh crap" before plummeting out of the nest flapping, flapping, flapping only to realize if they steadied their flapping in a more rhythmatic movement they would begin to soar. However it's that nano-second of standing on the edge before plummeting that is the most frightful of all. This is the place I feel I am at, but keep reassuring myself through prayers and quietness that this too is merely a step in life---as well as to remind myself to breath deep within rather than that shallow chest breathing that seems to take over when we get into the "fight or flight" pattern. More so than ever it is during these tense or stressful times that we must remember to breathe deep. (Keeping my little brown bag handy just in case I get a little too into my breathing pattern and get light headed.)

It is also during this time period when one probably feels the most alive. The adrenaline surging through your body causing you to feel like a super hero of sorts. However, coupling super hero adrenaline power with trembling fetal position fear does not necessarily make for a nice combination. :-) Yes, I’m being a little over dramatic but the imaging of that last sentence alone cracked me up----so it’s all good. All seems right with the world now. Lol

Now, I’m off to save the day in a palm-sweating, nerve trembling all the while practicing my deep breathing exercises and looking fashionably super-heroish in garment wear. Until we meet again, have a fabulous week.

Calmness in your Life

I got the following in an email message. Since it cracked me up so much I thought I'd share.

I am passing this on to you because it definitely works, and we could all use a little more calmness in our lives. By following simple advice heard on the Dr. Phil show, you too can find inner peace.

Dr Phil proclaimed, "The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started and have never finished."

So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and hadn't finished, and before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of White Zinfandel, a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream, a bottle of Kahlua, a package of Oreos, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos and a box of chocolates.

You have no idea how freaking good I feel right now. Please pass this on to those whom you think might be in need of inner peace.

It's the little things that matter

I just love my parents. No matter how old one gets they always seem to know the right thing to do or say. Considering my parents are aware of my situation with my one contracted account as well as my re-entry into the academic world, they sent me the following card for Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day

Not your traditional Valentine's message, but thought the following advice was great nonetheless. My love to you all.

Advice From A Tree

Stand Tall and Proud

Sink Your Roots into the Earth

Be Content with your Natural Beauty

Go out on a Limb

Drink Plenty of water

Rember Your Roots

Enjoy the View

Wonderful Impressions Made With Word Power

Be sure to turn on your sound - the music is as wonderful as the quotes. http://www.greatquotesmovie.com/

Can Sharing Be Too Much?

The old man placed an order for one hamburger, french fries and a drink.

He unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut it in half, placing one half in front of his wife.

He then carefully counted out the french fries, dividing them into two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife.

He took a sip of the drink, his wife took a sip and then set the cup down between them. As he began to eat his few bites of hamburger, the people around them were looking over and whispering.

Obviously they were thinking, 'That poor old couple - all they can afford is one meal for the two of them.'

As the man began to eat his fries a young man came to the table and politely offered to buy another meal for the old couple. The old man said that they were just fine - they were used to sharing everything.

People closer to the table noticed the little old lady hadn't eaten a bite. She sat there watching her husband eat and occasionally taking turns sipping the drink.

Again, the young man came over and begged them to let him buy another meal for them. This time the old woman said 'No, thank you, we are used to sharing everything.'

Finally, as the old man finished and was wiping his face neatly with the napkin, the young man again came over to the little old lady who had yet to eat a single bite of food and asked 'What is it you are waiting for?'

She answered.....







"THE TEETH."

Integrity and beyond

What does it mean to someone to have his or her integrity attacked or humiliated? How does one deal with such an offense? How does one remain grounded and centered and not allow their ego to assume the role of either victim or evil barbarian?

Certainly we as individuals have our own point of view of how we perceive something being done or not done. However, what is it like to be on the receiving end of someone else’s perception of how they perceive something being done or not done if it contradicts your own perception of the same situation?

Certainly our temperament by nature will have a great determining factor in how we react or respond to such situations. (Disclaimer – please note the following are mere attributes of different temperaments.) For an example, someone with a Choleric temperament generally has a very strong Type A personality that is very driven. They are quickly and vehemently excited by any impression made; he/she tends to react immediately, and the impression lasts a long time and easily induces new excitement. They can be very abrupt, seemingly cold-hearted, and very driven by nature. These individuals are generally very successful people in the work-world; however, due to their driven and even perfectionist nature can be seemingly aloof emotionally and very difficult to connect with on a personal level. On the other hand someone with a Sanguine temperament is very outgoing, fun loving, the life of the party. Like the Choleric they are quickly excited by any impression made; however this quickly vanishes. These individuals seem to be ready at any given moment to do anything. However, they can be somewhat draining because they never seem to settle down at anything, almost as if to have a short attention span. These temperaments are great to be around for some in small doses because again of their fun loving nature; however, sometimes they can be seen as never taking anything serious including their own lives. Then there is the Melancholic temperament which is at first only slightly excited by any impression received; a reaction does not set in at all or only after some time. But the impression remains deeply rooted, especially if new impressions of the same kind are repeated. These individuals tend to take things on an emotional level far deeper than any of the other temperaments. For these individuals internalize far deeper than anyone could ever imagine even though from the outside seem very calm, collected and unaffected by situations. Individuals with this temperament have an extremely softhearted disposition. They tend to enjoy silence and solitude over crowds. These individuals are slow to trust due to their fear of ever being hurt. Last but certainly not least is the Phlegmatic temperament, which to some may seem well balanced because of their ability to be neither easily offended nor overwhelmingly distracted by failures or sufferings. These individuals generally remain composed, thoughtful, deliberate, and have a cold, sober, and practical judgment. They tend to live in the very moment, and can be easily distracted from their responsibilities.

I believe we are a combination of all these temperaments with one of them being a dominant and the others to subsequently fall in line behind the dominant one. Recognizing these temperaments is very helpful in perhaps understanding an individual’s reaction or non-reaction towards something. Moreover, recognizing your own temperament can prove helpful in understanding your own reaction or non-reaction towards something. However, where it might get tricky is knowing how to deal with someone else’s temperament with your own temperament, if it differs, which brings me back to the beginning of this lengthy post.

Have you ever taken the time to consider these different temperament types in your daily life? Have you ever taken the time to wonder why disagreements and/or conflicts go on unresolved or maybe painfully out of control? Resulting in the severing of personal and/or business relations with little or no hope for repair.

Given the nature of who we all are makes me wonder at times how on earth we have been able to co-exist this long. Once again proving to me that there is a director (God, Allah, Higher Power, Creator, Divine Spirit---whatever name you feel resonates best with you) managing this crazy production we are all performing in known as “life”.