Rolling With the Punches… Flying Like a Butterfly

I didn’t ask for my life to look exactly like this… running a business, raising my boys as a single mom, and going to grad school.

But I love my life. I really do.

I love the creating, the learning, the possibilities. I love watching an idea become something I can touch. I love watching my boys grow into themselves while I’m still growing into myself, too.

Sometimes I just wish I had more time in the kitchen. More time to cook, to try recipes, to let something simmer without having to look at the clock. I wish I could spend my days at home sometimes… making food, making things beautiful, being that hero mom who somehow has something delicious ready and still has time for everything else.

That sounds so lovely to me.

And then there’s my actual life… and honestly, I love her, too. Lol.

She’s full. There’s always something happening, something to learn, somewhere to be. Sometimes I’m moving between being a mom, an artist, a business owner, and a student so quickly that I have to laugh.

This wasn’t exactly the picture I had in mind. But there is so much here that makes me happy.

Someone once told me, “You’ve got to roll with the punches.”

And here I am… rolling with the punches, flying like a butterfly, and getting curious about wherever this life takes me next.

I think trusting Allah has given me the freedom to enjoy a life I couldn’t have planned.

There is a serenity in remembering that I don’t have to know everything. I can make an effort, make a decision, pray, and move forward without needing to see how every little piece will fit.

In my heart, I can say… it’s okay. Allah knows.

That thought settles me.

It gives me room to enjoy what’s happening right now. To be excited about an opportunity without knowing where it will lead. To try something new. To change direction. To let a day surprise me.

And I love being surprised by Him.

I’ve always looked for God’s little surprises… almost like a scavenger hunt. A blessing tucked into an ordinary afternoon. A person who comes into my life at just the right moment. An unexpected chance to do something I love. A moment with my boys that I want to keep forever.

Sometimes I notice something and just smile to myself… Ya Allah, I see this. Thank You.

The more attention I give those moments, the more I find myself enjoying my days.

There is so much goodness that could easily pass by while I’m busy thinking about what comes next. I want to notice it. I want to taste the food, enjoy the conversation, laugh fully, and stop for the beautiful thing that catches my eye.

The artist in me loves that part of living. There is always something to see. A color, a face, a changing season. Something familiar looking completely different because the light has changed.

And I think life can feel that way, too. Sometimes the light changes, and I see how much I already have.

I’m grateful for everything that has shaped the woman I am now. Some of it took me time to understand. Some of it is still unfolding. But I like who I’m becoming. I like my curiosity, my faith, and the way I still get excited about what could be.

I want to enjoy the rose fully… the thorns and the essence. I want to know life closely enough to appreciate its tenderness, its humor, and even those moments that eventually become a story I can laugh about.

There are words from the Qur’an that stay with me through all of this:

﴿وَأَنْ لَيْسَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ ۝ وَأَنَّ سَعْيَهُ سَوْفَ يُرَىٰ﴾
Surah An-Najm, 53:39–40

These ayat remind me to keep putting my heart into what I do. To make the effort. To create, to learn, to care for what has been entrusted to me.

There is joy in that effort for me. I enjoy having something meaningful to work toward. I love the feeling of learning something I didn’t know yesterday, or seeing something come together after giving it my attention.

And I return to:

﴿لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا﴾
Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:286

I find such comfort in these words. I breathe a little deeper. I remember that I can take my life one day at a time, with faith, with help, with room to rest and enjoy myself along the way.

I’m 34, and there is still so much I want to experience.

More art to make. More things to learn. More meals to cook, hopefully. More time laughing with my boys. More places to see. More versions of myself to meet.

I don’t feel finished becoming. I hope I keep that feeling.

I hope I’m still curious years from now. Still willing to try. Still finding something beautiful in an ordinary day. Still allowing life to teach me something new about myself.

I will keep evolving. I will keep showing up. I will keep growing beyond these 34 years, for as many days as Allah has written for me.

And along the way, I want to enjoy being here.

So yes… I’m rolling with the punches.

But I’m also flying like a butterfly, looking for the next little surprise, and loving this life as it unfolds.