As I hear the rain drops and the trees sway to the wind, I find several minutes of time in the AM where the kids are sleeping and I have prepared for the 1st day of fast.
Pieter and I got up this morning, enjoyed some tea, ate our early "pre-fast" breakfast and said some prayers. I did some Yoga to Shiva Rea, and now ready to reflect before my hectic day starts at work...
Fasting is a unique opportunity to reflect on things, pray for strength and to rely MORE upon the spiritual realities, rather just on our own patterns of life, where eating & drinking takes a much larger role. As a child, when my parents fasted for Ramadan, I would look on as a witness to a process that I rarely understood. It was never explained too much on the "why" or the benefits, but rather as an exercise in duty and reverence.
This year, there is a unique "spirit" in the air; like I am treading this path knowing it will be fine, excited about the opportunity and not too weary about the overall difficulties (yet) that the fast may have on me as an individual. Part of this surprises me, since my work has doubled since a few months ago, and my 80 hour work load per week has not unfortunately decreased. As a result, I am very curious to see how my legal counsel will be impacted without my coffee and tea to cheer me up during my crazy day.
Instead, I am going to bring a little care package to work with me; a prayer book, some inspiring writings and definitely my IPOD with all 3000 songs to keep me going.
"...Prayer and fasting is the cause of awakening and mindfulness and conducive to protection and preservation from tests..." --Abdu'l-Baha
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