Friends,

 

I feel speechless because, like every one of you, I can't believe another week passed while this is still ongoing.

 

I want to hold space for contrasting ideas in my head, the belief in basic human goodness and the reality of what's happening in Palestine. I can't make them come to terms so far. I have deep faith, but I never had my faith tested like this.  

 

When COVID hit, I had so much to say about mental toughness and resilience. I shared that the pandemic is what we were training for by building positive habits. Heck, I launched my podcast in COVID. The world shared COVID. We felt a connection to one another more than ever and that "we were in this together." But now that it's about Palestine and the crimes against Palestine, the world is looking the other way. Here,  in our safe homes, we are speaking every day, but there, their lives are getting worse every day.

 

Yet… I choose to feel empowered by the never-seen-before masses of peaceful protests. I screenshot every story of Alaa Hamdan that shows statistics of public opinion changing, such as the increase in the number of Pro-Palestine tweets or how boycotting is working. I feel hope when I see Jews protesting against violence in central stations. I choose to connect with other hopeful voices on social media; this is what keeps me sane.  It's easy to give up. Hard to keep going. Keep going.

 

So much changed in us last month, and I am still reflecting on that. I will share more next Sunday and in my humble IG stories. Thank you for reading my half-baked thoughts.

 

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I sometimes ask my awesome friend and accountability partner for suggestions for things to write about in my Sunday Spark when I feel stuck. I did that a few times only over the last two years since I launched my newsletter. Today, though, I asked my ten clients-turned-into-friends in my All Year Goals program for their support on what to write this week. I said I felt my tongue was tied, and I didn't know what to say! They gave me generous thoughts. They told me to speak about what I felt precisely and how to go about our daily lives with all of this pain for our brothers and sisters in Palestine.

 

This is what I did. Thank you, my dear friends.

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For those of you who miss my personal life stories, I want to tell you that my daughter's mid-term exams are almost over, and I learned that I need to keep following up with her on the Arabic language because it was the hardest to study for. That's another lesson I learned lately: We let this happen. "This" being some of our kids are more fluent in Arabic than English.

 

I did my monthly review for October yesterday, because I still went to work every day, and parented every day and listened to audio books every day. I also met with friends, updated my budget, walked and decluttered every week. So that's what I reviewed. I never regret doing my monthly review and my future self will thank me for it. Maybe you might consider it?

 

Here is your weekly dose of The Sunday Spark ⚡️ a newsletter listing 3 sparks that I thought were worth starting your week with*: 

1. 🚫 Know what to boycott please here; let's be focused in our efforts. Follow @BDSarabic for accurate information.

 

2. 💗 From my desk: How to Talk to Yourself.

 

3. 💭 This quote resonated so much, I wish you healthy minds.

 

"A healthy mind knows how to hope; it identifies and then hangs on tenaciously to a few reasons to keep going. Grounds for despair, anger, and sadness are, of course, all around. But the healthy mind knows how to bracket negativity in the name of endurance. It clings to evidence of what is still good and kind. It remembers to appreciate; it can — despite everything — still look forward to a hot bath, some dried fruit or dark chocolate, a chat with a friend, or a satisfying day of work. It refuses to let itself be silenced by all the many sensible arguments in favor of rage and despondency.”  

―Alain De Botton

 

(Thank you Readwise for helping me find this quote from something I read)

🙏 Don’t forget that we can donate to support Palestine 🇵🇸. Jordan friends please donate to Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization. 

* Note: To the best of my ability, I am trying to share content by authors who have not disappointed me, and they are hard to come by! Please let me know if any author I share about showed disrespect to Palestine.

 

 

 

See you next Sunday First name / my dear friend!