大象传媒

From Remona Aly, Freelance journalist and editor

My friend loves a good meme. Well, who doesn鈥檛. Memes speak a thousand pent up feelings, and so it鈥檚 her preferred mode of communication. She recently sent a meme of a person submerged in a muddy swamp, but has both thumbs up valiantly through the water, under the caption: 鈥楨verything is fine鈥�.

鈥楨verything is fine鈥� is our anti-motto. When we鈥檙e asked - 鈥楽ooo, how鈥檚 life?鈥� we respond through gritted teeth and forced smile, 鈥榚verything鈥檚 absolutely fine鈥�.

Yes, I know my mum had three kids by the time she was my age, and yep, I probably should鈥檝e worked instead of binge watching Netflix/box sets while covered in biscuit crumbs and a blankie, and I admit, it鈥檚 been a year of swipe lefts... but - everything is FINE.

And here we are, 2017 grazing our heels, as we totter on the precipice of a new year with an armful of recycled resolutions.

聽But saving me from the brink of pessimism, is an Islamic phrase that I say in every circumstance - whether it鈥檚 good, bad, or bare-faced ugly. I say 鈥楢lhamdhulillah鈥� - praise be to God, thanking the Divine for the million blessings I don鈥檛 even realise I have half the time. It鈥檚 the attitude of gratitude calling for positive energy and attracting the same in return.

Oh, but the battle between being moany and being grateful can be a tough one to win. The Muslim Persian poet, Hafiz, put it well back in the 14th century, when he said miserable people have one thing in common - they build a shrine to the past, and worship and wail there.

But that鈥檚 not my kind of religion. I don鈥檛 want a lifetime devoted to 鈥榳oe is me鈥�, but I do need reminding of my antidote to sadness. When I see no light at the end of my tunnel vision, gratefulness raises a lamp to expand the horizon.

Hafiz also gives me hope and promise through his poetry; 鈥淓ver since Happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you.鈥�

The only way for Happiness to knock at my door, is to make sure I never lose myself in the dark.聽So I鈥檒l start 2018 not with a strained 鈥榚verything is fine鈥�, but with an affirming 鈥榚verything is awesome鈥�.