All that you can’t leave behind.
Last night I was enjoying the peace and darkness of my room after a long family road trip home from Miami. I had just turned off my laptop and it felt good knowing that I’d finished setting up this blog. Another task crossed off the to-do list, I could finally reward myself with sleep. I picked up my cellphone to check the time and calculate the duration of sleep I’d be getting…when it hit me.
Someone once told me that before going to sleep is the best time to collect your thoughts on the day’s events and remember things you forgot to do. I’ve found this to be true, which is a little frustrating considering you can’t do much about it at that point. You can’t make those urgent phone calls at 1 AM or return that thing you borrowed from that person, so just as fast as you remember you have to get it done, you also have to jot it down somewhere to make sure you get to it first thing in the morning.
So there I was checking the time on my cellphone when I suddenly remembered a bill that was due!
I should have gone with my gut feeling to pay it in full right away rather than wait. With all this going out of town that I’ve been doing, packing for my trip, and family issues to address I didn’t remember that I had until the end of July to take care of it. I felt sick to my stomach going to sleep last night, disappointed in myself and annoyed that it was too late at night to do anything about it.
As part of our Islam, we are taught to be prompt when fulfilling promises and paying off debt. There’s a reason for this. Debt is something you can’t leave behind no matter where you go. If I leave on my travels without paying off a debt I’d return home to find myself facing the consequences for it. And if I didn’t reach home…? Think about it. If you die before fulfilling something you owe there is NO escaping it, you WILL have to pay for it in the next life.
It scares me to think after I leave I might think of something else I was supposed to do or something else I owe and by then it might be too late…
On the bright side, T-Mobile told me I can pause my account for 90 days for a fee of $10. It isn’t much but it means my bill won’t have to be paid for again until November and every little bit helps when you have to pay for something you won’t even use for almost a year.
I really have to make sure I fulfill my duties to others before I go such as replying to e-mails/phone calls and returning or giving them things I owe them. If you’re reading this and I owe you something: please let me know ASAP!