Get up eight
My dear friend Luby Ismail was diagnosed with MS 30 years ago. In every conversation I've ever had with her, the sentiment that I leave with is gratitude - because her most often used word is, Alhumdulillah.Fall down seven, get up eight - a Japanese proverb I often think about. My daughter tells me, it should be get up 100 for all the times I’ve fallen! But I'm getting back up.A pressure wound has required me to lie in bed, on my side, to heal. At the beginning, I was feeling frustration and impatience and resentment; but now I’m looking out my window, seeing sunny days and cloudy days, listening to the Quran and connecting with friends and family.Because of the Coronavirus, suddenly not only people with a disability, but people around the world have to stay at home; they’re not able to go to work, they’re not able to travel - facing what people with disabilities often face. It’s been very moving to me because the world is adapting to make Ramadan accessible to all. I can’t go to most people’s homes because they’re not accessible to me, but now we’re meeting on zoom, on WhatsApp.My wound, coupled with Ramadan, coupled with the Coronavirus is actually deepening my spirit. There’s such an emphasis on fasting from food and water, but fasting is also about clearing your mind, clearing your heart, opening yourself up. If you can’t fast, you can feed a person in need; there are so many opportunities to feed and to give, more than ever. I’m being tested for patience, like never before. And for gratitude. As painful as this wound may be and as debilitating as my MS has become, I cannot help but feel a great sense of gratitude because I have a family here to support me, a kitchen filled with food and nourishment, and health insurance.Rumi says, the wound is the place where the light enters you. And that’s what I’m feeling. Alhumdulillah.To read all '30 reflections for our times', please follow the Facebook page '30 days 30 deeds', Instagram @salmahasanali, or subscribe to the newsletter at www.salmahasanali.com.