My daily chores overwhelm me,
So much to do in so little time,
I cannot stop and take the time to see,
And not even a minute do I have to think about the One Above, most sublime!
Work, work and work…that’s all I can perceive,
From the morning till the eve,
My thoughts are filled with mundane tasks,
My life defined by a thousand masks.
A perfect depiction of ‘life in the fast lane’,
Sometimes I wonder if I’m going insane,
Stress is like my air,
And somewhere between, I can’t help but feel despair!
My family life is limited,
And it’s almost as if I’ve been prohibited,
From having peace and tranquility,
Oh how I long for more stability.
I don’t know when last I’ve read a book,
Or even taken out time to cook,
I don’t have time for exercise,
Perhaps it’s all part of the compromise,
But, the worst of all I can’t even say,
I can’t remember when last I put down my head to pray!
This cannot be the way to live,
This one-sided, way seems poor,
There has to be a better way,
More balance would be better I’m sure.
How do I find what I really need?
The things that I’ve always thought could wait.
What do I do to find the peace?
Before I wake up and find it’s too late.
Human beings are not one-dimensional. Alhamdulilla, it is a mercy of Allah (SWT) on us that we can function on many different levels. Thus, maintaining a balanced life is essential for our well-being. When we focus on only one aspect of our lives, (whether it’s work, or family, or friends, or even spirituality), then we will find that we can’t achieve true contentment, because our lives are unbalanced.
Islam emphasizes this concept of balance or moderation and it places importance on both the material, everyday tasks as well as the spiritual tasks. It is for this reason that forms of worship in Islam is not limited to praying or fasting only, but a simple thing like smiling at another human being for instance has been regarded as a form of charity, something which pleases Allah Almighty, a different form of worship. For Muslims, then, achieving a balanced life should be easy.
When a person’s life is unbalanced, then it makes the person more susceptible to physical as well as mental illnesses.
Insha’Allah in my next post I will look at ‘living a balanced life’ in a little more detail.
Until then, take some time out to reflect on your own life. How balanced is your life? Do you make time for different things in your life? Or, do you find yourself making much more time for some things than for others? If you’ve been feeling stressed out, angry, depressed, burnt out, etc… then perhaps the real problem is that your life is unbalanced…
What do you think about all this? Share your thoughts with us, we love to hear from you?
Until my next post, take care and try to live a more balanced life…May Allah make it easy for us all!
I leave you in peace!
