Happy Fasting (a repost)

This is just a repost since it happens to be in Ramadan again:

I just had a conversation with some teenagers. They talked about their experience of fasting in this Ramadan month. It was a very light conversation because I was asking about the menus they had for iftar and suhoor. Some of them had difficulties in waking up for suhoor, so they didn't eat anything for suhoor. Then when it came to iftar, they were so hungry that they could eat a horse. So, on the way to go home from school, they would buy anything that they wanted to eat later at iftar. But when it really came to iftar, their hunger and thirst would be satisfied with only drinking a glass of sweet hot tea.

Then I remember myself when I was still a teenager doing fasting in Ramadan month. What happened to them happened to me too. I wished I could eat anything I wanted when it came to iftar, but my stomach couldn't take it. Anyway, I still tried to eat all I wanted because I wanted to feel full. When my mom woke me up for suhoor, I felt that my eyes and my whole body so heavy that I couldn't get up. As a result, I was just up for a while for a glass of water, and then went back to sleep again.

Growing old, I can feel the huge benefit of enjoying iftar moment by drinking a glass of hot tea and some dates (if I have the stock in the fridge). And those teenagers, who had a light conversation with me, are perfectly correct. At iftar, I can satisfy my hunger and thirst by sipping my hot tea slowly and doing it mindfully. After giving some long pauses, I will really enjoy my meal without feeling too full or too greedy to eat any other food.

Doing fasting in Ramadan month feels so much better when I don't have to worry about the limited stocks of food in my fridge, and when I don't have to join conversations about mouth watering food and drink😴

This 2020 fasting month feels much more special due to fact that covid19 is still around. Being at home more often and not having to talk with many people makes this fasting more meaningful. Let me just say that this 1441 Ramadan fasting is the most meaningful fasting for me as long as I live up to now.

Enjoy your Ramadan fasting.