My Ramadan Fast Follow-Up and other concerns

 

I’m torn. My Follow-Up post, written a few days ago, follows both the Muhammed Ali funeral, which I was privileged to listen to on my drive out, and the Orlando tragedy, which I was spared news coverage of because my son does not own a TV.

Yes, I am torn. Do I replace the Fast Follow-Up post with my thoughts on (and links to) the various Ali eulogies that moved me so very much?  Frankly, juxtaposed against the tragedy in Orlando, I was doubly motivated to do just that. But I will not.  I am here in Ohio (I had a book gig on Saturday) to be Grandma, and being the Grandma takes time and energy. So, writing my Muhammed Ali remembrance will wait until next week.

Tuesday, I went into Cleveland with my older granddaughter, Isabella, and spent the day. If you follow me on Facebook, you may have seen a few of my posts. We did enjoy that chocolate shop!  Here’s another one:

 

And that, of course, came first.

So, here is the one that was originally scheduled to run today. My Ramadan Fast Follow-Up.”  Next week, I will run my thoughts on Muhammed Ali.

 

It’s over. That’s first.

As of last Thursday morning when I woke up at my normal time (7ish) to pack for my current trip, and take on the “traveler” role, my fasting days were behind me.

As set out in last week’s post, I decided to experience first hand the Ramadan fast this year. I wanted to understand a bit more of what was involved in observing it.

However, rather than getting much clearer on Ramadan and its pull, I learned more about myself in the process. But isn’t that why we take on these challenges, why we push ourselves out of our comfort zone?  It’s fitting actually, for the Ramadan fast is about self-reflection and introspection.

Can we ever really learn about ourselves if we don’t get uncomfortable?

My two days left me with eight pages of notes.  I will refer to them from time to time.

Monday night, I knew I’d have to set an alarm to be up early enough to eat before sunrise. But when was sunrise?  I’d never looked up the official sunrise time before.

I set my alarm, then turned over and went to sleep.

 

 

Sitting in my usual breakfast spot by our bow window, the house quiet, Sasha a bit confused, I was struck by how still everything is just before dawn. Then I opened the window. The bird song was practically deafening.

I finished my oatmeal and, savoring my second cup of tea, wondered, “Why am I doing this?”

Am I impulsive? Is this like my jump into Peace Corps? A jump off that metaphorical high dive, the one where I “figure it out on the way down?”

In that moment, three hours before I am usually awake, that’s how it felt. Rash.

Where was that 20-year old college senior who’d so boldly proclaimed “I’d never fast. I’d do lots of things for my beliefs, but I’d never fast” in response to an invitation from her favorite (at the time) professor.

Dr. Murray Milner, a sociology professor was inviting selected students to his home for a discussion on “How far are we willing to go for a cause?”

“I’d never fast.” I’d said, so very quickly.

That girl felt very far away.

I knew I felt afraid too, as I sat there.

Not so much a fear of feeling hungry, it was a fear of becoming dehydrated.

And of getting out of whack with my body.  My body has been a reliable ally as I’ve come to trust its messages. Now I was planning to ignore these messages. This was something I hadn’t expected this.

Then, sitting there that first morning, long past sunrise, my tea mug empty, I noted that my hips hurt and wondered if it would be considered “cheating” to take a pill during the day.

Why was cheating so much on my mind?  

I got on my computer three and a half hours earlier than usual and noted only that “there are a lot of food ads on Facebook.”  

Funny what you notice anew.

Reading more about Ramadan, I jotted these notes:

The farther you live from the equator the longer your day is.  It’s 18 hours where I am. 22 hours in Canada and Russia; 11 hours at the tip of South America and Australia.

I’d be fasting over the summer solstice!  What was I thinking? I obviously hadn’t.

 

sick, elderly; travelers; menstruating, pregnant, and nursing women are exempt. 

Yes, I underlined travelers.  You see, I knew I’d be leaving Thursday morning and be gone for a week.  Travelers are exempted from fasting during Ramadan, along with the other groups listed.  I continued reading about Ramadan:

The morning meal is called  suhoor; the evening meal, iftar. The common practice is to  eat a date before iftar.

And I began noticing the many  jokes on social media about “having a date every night.”

Then, I took a three hour nap.

Yes, most unexpected was the sleepiness. But, the sleepiness hit, I just gave in to it. What’s that Oscar Wilde quote?

When I got up, I drank three glasses of water with lemon, then wrote, “I feel fine.  No hunger pangs.”

Of course I didn’t feel hungry; I was filled with 36 ounces of lemon water. Still, I planned to continue.

That afternoon, I worked outside hanging laundry on the line and weeding my kitchen garden. Shortly after, I noted, “This is going well. Not even hungry.” 

But at “tea time,” when  Woody and I sit over a cup of tea to catch up on our day, all I thought of was NOT TEA. I noted in my journal that, “I’m not feeling very spiritual at all.”  I was getting crabby.

Julia Roberts, as Anna Scott in Notting Hill, told us she’s been hungry for nineteen years. And with that memory, I realized I can’t recall ever feeling hungry, really hungry, in my lifetime.

I’ve always been able to eat whenever I wanted, eat because it’s in front of me, or because it’s just meal time.

I would eat again that night, I knew.  And remembered there are far too many who are also hungry, but won’t get to eat tonight or tomorrow or for a very long time.

Islam emphasizes charity work during Ramadan.

And the multiple benefits of that work felt clear. They work at meal sites, collect clothes for give-aways, and do a variety of other activities.Aside from the benefits to the receivers, the distraction surely benefits the givers.

Such was Day One. Certainly my attention was focused on my physical self. I did no special journaling, other than the notes I’ve shared.

Then, alarm again set for 4:30, I went into Day Two, waking up a half hour before the alarm went off.  My plan for the second morning was to eat a double breakfast and load up on water. So, after an extra glass of cold water with my pills, I started bacon to cook while I ate my usual oatmeal. But when I went to add the eggs to the pan, I was comfortably full.  Eating more, just to “stock up” felt gluttonous. I didn’t want it. So, I wrapped up the bacon and put the eggs back in the fridge.

I spent part of the day responding to the comments on my initial Ramadan post, and enjoyed this link from Merril Smith to an NPR story on the batch of toys and books for children learning about Ramadan. It’s 3:40 minutes.

 

What’s my takeaway?

After the water, which I also drank during Day Two, the hardest part for me was the unexpected sleep deprivation.  In hindsight, I shouldn’t have been so surprised, for when I’m dehydrated, I get sleepy. I also get nauseated and dizzy. Yes, going without water was not going to work for me.

I also was conscious that I was doing this alone, and I’m quite certain that, were I to ever do this for the full month, a sense of community would be vital to my success.

This little experiment of mine left me with more questions than it answered, as most experiments in my life do.

Why do I typically react so quickly when I first feel hungry?  Why not get more information before I strive to make it go away? I do that with fear. I’ve done it with pain. Now perhaps I’ll do it with hunger.

How quickly my brain shouts “I can’t” when, actually, I can. Which voice to listen to? The one shouting “Just get a glass of water for Pete’s sake.” The one whispering, “It’s not worth it. Give it up.”? Or the one telling me “Hang in there. Give it time; you’ll see.”

I’ll ponder these for a bit.  Journal, explore, discuss with someone else.  Reflect. Chew.

Yes, I’ll chew on the ideas that have come forth through this mini Ramadan fast, taste the metaphorical flavors and textures, then decide if I’m ready to swallow, digest, and make my own.  Or, will I spit it out?

How’s that for irony?

As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome.  I have no particular question for you today though.