Ramadan: Another update.

Posting this image of 'Ramazanije' to motivate myself
to fast for tomorrow. Hajde, help me, friends!
(Source: Klix.ba)

Hey guys, how are you all going this evening?

Just before I get started, I must admit it seems a little strange writing this message. In previous posts, I only expected to be reaching to an audience of dozens - at best - of my friends and family, but now, there are potentially thousands who could be reading this!

Anyway, it's time to get back down to business and not become caught up in it all, so here's an update on my Ramadan progress - or lack of progress :-( - in recent days.

Unfortunately, as I just told you, I haven't done a whole lot on the fasting front since my last Ramadan entry.

However, this in itself is worth writing about, because my Ramadan experience is just as much about the days I fast, as it is those days I fail to do so.

It really is difficult to describe the negative feeling when you know you could be fasting, but you don't. Especially worse is that, on these days, my girlfriend is fasting and I am leaving her to do that on her own.

Compare this to the days where we are fasting together, and it's something out of this world.

In ways that are difficult to neatly put into words, this experience has probably brought us even closer together.

Nonetheless, as we sit now around the halfway-mark of the Ramadan month, I have fasted six days thus far. This is not pleasing for me, as I wanted a few days to my name by now. My goal is to have no less than 14 days of fasting done by the end of the month, and I know this will require a lot of will and perseverance!

Tomorrow it restarts; my girlfriend has actually stated that she is feeling unwell at the moment, so probably she will not fast tomorrow, meaning I will be doing it alone.

Though, as I stated earlier, I would prefer to be doing it together with my partner, I am rather excited about the challenge of attempting to fast solo. It is definitely doing to test me.

Do you think I can do it?

Leave your hopes with me, "MOLIM TE!" :-)


PS. Here's a lovely descriptive comment I received on a previous blog entry of mine today. It was written by user 'ninichissima', who provides a good account of their own personal experience and thoughts throughout this period of fasting, and why he or she does it.
Thanks for the post, ninichissima!

"I really enjoy your descriptions of ramazan in your blog - from a perspective of a person who is new in all that. Yes, I believe that there are a lot of misconceptions going around about fasting (and islam in general), so that people minimize it to 'just starving and torturing yourself'. I am glad that you have "been experiencing emotions you did not expect." This is exactly the point of fasting (from my understanding) because then we all become nicer / calmer / better to each other etc and that is common in every religion. which is beautiful.

Living in this fast-paced world, i felt really like an emotion-empty person in the beginning of the month, totally detached from inner feelings and just focused on job/hobbies/plans/'things to do'/... First few days I was really looking forward to, to come 'back to myself', and they really shook me. Then somehow it sinked in that there is Someone up there who is watching us and taking care about us and who will forgive all bad things that we are not happy with ourselves - only if we ask for it. "