LIFE AS IT IS

Have you ever experienced an intense feeling of happiness washing over you after performing an act of kindness? If yes, then you are one of those who have felt what psychologists call the Helper’s High, an uplifting feeling that helps the mind, body, and spirit.  The Daily Star Google Images This is the month of Ramadan. Muslims perform acts of charity or give to charitable causes every year, especially during this month, in the form of Zakat, one of the five pillars of Islam. Although most of us give to charitable causes, the amount we donate are not always commensurate with our wealth. Therefore, it is important that we calculate our due Zakat before we pay it. I have often heard the elderly relatives in my family say, “If people paid their Zakat in full, the country would not have any poor people.” We often forget the importance of this third pillar of Islam. So even though many of us pray five times a day, fast during Ramadan, and have performed the Hajj, we appear

This was the only hummingbird I ever touched. It was stunned after colliding with our window. I brought it home, fed it homemade nectar (sugar + water) with the help of a syringe, and kept it in a shoebox for the night. The following morning it was drinking well and was soon able to fly. I remember calling up the local wildlife rehabilitator for help. By the time one of their volunteers came, this bird was flying around the house and climbing on me.  The volunteer and I took the bird where the collision occurred and released it to its environment. I secretly wished (shhh!) that I could keep it, but wild animals “belong” in the wild...

”Circles Of life, Born from Pulses Of light, Vibrate To Breathe, While Spiraling Outwards For Infinity Through The lens Of time, And into A sea Of stars And Lucid Dreams.” #watercolor

“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” I am starting to see flowers blooming around me - in my home, backyard, and in public parks. So, even though these are times of trouble, struggle, and unhappiness, I cannot lose heart. I want to give my best fight - the way a yellow dandelion fights through a crack in the concrete to have its day in the sun. #watercolor

You probably have a favourite cotton T-shirt or a dress that you have worn for years. I certainly do. I have cotton T-shirts that are six or seven years old, which went through more than one hundred washes and still hold up really well. The secret is in their fabric, which is a natural fibre that grows on the cotton plant.  The Daily Star link Today, marketplaces overflow with synthetic fabrics — nylon, polyester, acrylic, and rayon. Why? Because they are low-cost, wrinkle-free, and generally, more durable than natural fabrics like cotton, silk, wool, or linen. But all synthetic fabrics are just different forms of plastic. To cater to consumers’ demand for cheap apparel, fashion houses and fast fashion retailers around the world produce clothes that are low-priced, but have detrimental effects on our health and environment. NAY TO SYNTHETIC FABRICS The production of synthetic fabrics results in serious environmental damages — from water and air pollution during the long and

“When can I go back to school?" asked my daughter. I find it difficult to tell her that there will not be any school for her for the rest of this school year. She misses riding the yellow bus to and from her school. She misses her teachers and friends, like hundreds of millions of children across the world who are at home because they are under some kind of lockdown. My daughter's daily routine is in disarray. The Daily Star link The White House announced that Americans would have to stay at home until at least April 30. In our state, the governor has ordered a shelter-in-place until May 15. From what I am hearing, watching, and reading, I can safely say that there will most likely be no more school for our children this school year. They will lose a chunk of their normal childhood in the process, but then again, this is not exactly a normal time from any perspective. As a matter of fact, closing down schools is having an immensely positive impact on our effort to