Monday, March 19, 2012

Day One

I'm not sure how to format these posts and if I think too hard about it, we'll never get anywhere together. So, Bismillah. Here we go!

EXERCISE
Today I worked out on the elliptical machine for 20 minutes after work. Normally I try not to work out in the evenings because it used to keep me up late after getting all energized, but 7:00 isn't the same as 10:00 and let's face it, I am an insomniac anyway so what's the diff?


I am trying to find a new verb to describe this because "worked out on the elliptical machine" is just too long if you ask me. Did I run? No. Walk? Not quite. I didn't "elliptical" because that's a description of the shape my feet make in motion and it sounds stupid, especially for someone trained in art. If anyone has ideas, holler them out. Maybe I "bounced" for 20 minutes but that's kind of confusing and probably is more appropriate for what you do on a trampoline or after you get sick of being somewhere for a while. I hope I get a trampoline some day, like that lady in Fried Green Tomatoes. TOWANDA!!

Here's the health tip of the day: Stop drinking soda. No, really, just stop it. It's an empty-calorie, tooth-rotting, burp-inducing, sometimes-scary-chemical slurry that costs way more than it's worth, which is really a negative dollar amount if you think about it. I am going to stop drinking it. Can you???




ISLAM

I watched this great video from Br. Nouman Ali Khan, one of my favorite speakers (he's not a sheikh—just a speaker!). This brother can humble you right up in no time flat. MashaAllah. This video, called "Today you can, tomorrow you cannot" is chock-full of reminders about showing respect to others, especially our parents, and how to make inroads with those who see our practice of Islam as "extremism".

It was comforting to hear that some people have a harder time with their Muslim parents than I do with my non-Muslim family members. My favorite take-away message: "If you think you got problems with your family hating on your Islam, you got nothing on the Prophet" [salli allahu alayhi wa sallam] in this case with regard to his uncle Abu Lahab, who lived next-door and used to throw dead animals into his yard. What a jerk!

Check it out. It's actually 26 minutes but don't tell anyone I cheated.



1 comment:

  1. MashaAllah that lecture is great. I watched one yesterday on tashahuud that was awesome. Awesome. I'll send it to you inshaAllah.

    That picture of the kids with the soda is awesome. The look on the kid's face with the two sodas is priceless.

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