Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Routine
When I was young (not that I'm old now), an uncle of mine had once mentioned that we are 'creatures of routine.' Didn't really mean much at the time for my biggest concerns then were not missing cartoons but it stuck with me throughout the years. Only lately, have I been able to decipher the code.
Our physical bodies are constructed as such that they respond best to continuous exercise. Coaches at every level of sports advise daily training with set activities and a gradual increase if the individual chooses to do so. Running for ten minutes each day is better than an hour long jog once a week. I don't know the exact scientific reasons but observation has shown that cyclical and repetitive exercises are best suited and also allow a person to push his/her limits.
It's easy to get carried away with zeal and go hard the first day but not only is that extremely damaging to the body but the odds are that the person would not likely be able to keep up the pace. Similarly, our spiritual selves require the same kind of treatment.
Before I departed for Calgary, eight straight months of school had allowed me to form a routine. For example, the daily bus ride would be dedicated to reading the Quran. Why the bus ride? I figured instead of staring aimlessly at the world passing by, it's best to start the day with the Quran leading to approximately 30-35 minutes being spent towards it.
Another habit included spending at least fifteen minutes reading some books before falling asleep, be it tales of World War II (a collection that I bought at the library book sale for $1 a piece) or the jurisprudence of the Prophetic biography or escape in far flung cultures through my beloved National Geographic, I'd try to take my mind off the daily grinds. This consistency worked so well that I was reading a book a month!
Then came Calgary......
Not only did I have to develop a completely new routine, but I didn't really know what to do with the free time after work. So, for the first two months, very little was accomplished even though I had taken all my books in high hopes.
Finally, I managed to plan out my day that would consist of going to the downtown musllah right after work for maghrib, further staying an hour or so to read the Quran, which incidentally also help me beat out the after-work train rush.
After reaching and throwing together something that tried its best to resemble dinner, the evening ended watching Peter Mansbridge deliver the CBC news, further checking hockey, cricket, and basketball scores, followed by a dose of world news through the BBC RSS feed.
In other words, I had managed to develop a 'schedule' of sorts to maximize what I can get out of my day. Unfortunately, by the time I got used to it, I was on my way back to Edmonton.
Now I'm lost again with no plan, reading half a book in one day and then not touching it for a week after that. I suppose this is why it's said that a small but consistent good deed is better in the eyes of Allah (swt) than a big one performed once a year.
So, I wait for school to start so this wretched inefficiency can finally meet its end.
Our physical bodies are constructed as such that they respond best to continuous exercise. Coaches at every level of sports advise daily training with set activities and a gradual increase if the individual chooses to do so. Running for ten minutes each day is better than an hour long jog once a week. I don't know the exact scientific reasons but observation has shown that cyclical and repetitive exercises are best suited and also allow a person to push his/her limits.
It's easy to get carried away with zeal and go hard the first day but not only is that extremely damaging to the body but the odds are that the person would not likely be able to keep up the pace. Similarly, our spiritual selves require the same kind of treatment.
Before I departed for Calgary, eight straight months of school had allowed me to form a routine. For example, the daily bus ride would be dedicated to reading the Quran. Why the bus ride? I figured instead of staring aimlessly at the world passing by, it's best to start the day with the Quran leading to approximately 30-35 minutes being spent towards it.
Another habit included spending at least fifteen minutes reading some books before falling asleep, be it tales of World War II (a collection that I bought at the library book sale for $1 a piece) or the jurisprudence of the Prophetic biography or escape in far flung cultures through my beloved National Geographic, I'd try to take my mind off the daily grinds. This consistency worked so well that I was reading a book a month!
Then came Calgary......
Not only did I have to develop a completely new routine, but I didn't really know what to do with the free time after work. So, for the first two months, very little was accomplished even though I had taken all my books in high hopes.
Finally, I managed to plan out my day that would consist of going to the downtown musllah right after work for maghrib, further staying an hour or so to read the Quran, which incidentally also help me beat out the after-work train rush.
After reaching and throwing together something that tried its best to resemble dinner, the evening ended watching Peter Mansbridge deliver the CBC news, further checking hockey, cricket, and basketball scores, followed by a dose of world news through the BBC RSS feed.
In other words, I had managed to develop a 'schedule' of sorts to maximize what I can get out of my day. Unfortunately, by the time I got used to it, I was on my way back to Edmonton.
Now I'm lost again with no plan, reading half a book in one day and then not touching it for a week after that. I suppose this is why it's said that a small but consistent good deed is better in the eyes of Allah (swt) than a big one performed once a year.
So, I wait for school to start so this wretched inefficiency can finally meet its end.
Faraz Ahmed 2:06 p.m.