Expand

Mum called me this morning to say hi to Naya. ‘I’m so sad that my trip to see you has been cancelled - my heart is aching to see you.’

With that heartfelt love and sadness, I found myself crying. Sincere emotions are like an arrow straight from sender to receiver, sparking a similar reaction, awakening feelings that were asleep. 

Before I knew it, thoughts and emotions pulled one another, “I miss my mum; I’m so sad she’d hardly seen us during Naya’s first year; I feel far away from my loved ones; God, so many are far away from their loved ones; At least I still have mine - how unbearable the thought of losing her; My husband and many friends have lost their mums of late; If that feels unbearable, imagine losing your child.” 

And with that, I started to sob. My sadness collided with that of others and our collective sadness made itself felt. I let the tears flow. I then remembered the words of the Quran, ‘God burdens no soul beyond what it can bear’ 2.286

I sat to meditate.

When I feel overwhelmed, I choose to expand. Our shoulders are not limited by their physical dimensions, we can broaden them as much as we like. Our heart isn’t solely the muscle in our chest. Our heart can expand to hold all this sadness and still be filled with an even greater amount of joy if we choose.

We are not only our physical bodies, we are vibrational beings and how small or big we feel is down to our perception, our mindset, not the boundaries and limits we put on ourselves.

I meditated.

I prayed.

I expanded.

I felt lighter.  

I prayed again, ‘Oh source of peace encompasses us all with your peace. I pray for the heartbroken, the depressed, the hungry, the sick, the oppressed, the grieving, the outcast, those in war torn countries, those unjustly evicted from their homes and for those who have loved someone or something they can not get back.’

We all feel overwhelmed sometimes. Remember, you can handle it.

Expand - you are bigger than you think and when you ask for strength, you will receive.