wake-up call.

It was a Saturday morning. Aqilah woke up after 8 hours of sleep, suddenly having motivation to go for a ride around her house on her purple bike. It was a little strange of her for wanting to, because she was usually lazy and couldn't be bothered to exercise. But she went anyway, wearing the "IIUM IDC" t-shirt she got last week and putting on a random tudung syria she found in her sister's wardrobe. She didn't care if she looked like she just woke up, as long as she's all covered once she steps outside. On the way out the door, she sneaked into her brother's room and took his iPod. She lost hers a few months ago so she made a contract with her brother and owns 30% of his iPod. She went to the door, clicked on the auto-gate button, went out, grabbed her bike and rode out to the playground. Aqilah clicked 'play' on her brother's iPod, and while she rode her bike, Greyson Chance's "Waiting Outside The Lines" played.

It was probably the most suitable time for a song like that to be played. Aqilah couldn't help but listen closely to the lyrics and relate it to herself riding the bike. When Greyson sang "It's time for you to seize the day", Aqilah smiled. She was proud of herself that she did something beneficial in the morning, instead of oversleeping. It was a good start to the day, and she was determined to make it better. Then Greyson sang "Instead of just sitting around and looking down on tomorrow, you gotta get your feet off the ground, the time is now". "Wow," Aqilah thought. It was as if Greyson knew what she was doing, and what she needed. It was great coincidence that her feet were off the ground, since she was riding a bicycle. She was even more motivated to 'seize the day' now. She looked around herself at the environment as Greyson sang "There's a whole world around us, just waiting to be explored". She saw cheerful leaves waving at her as the soft wind helped them dance on their branches, the beautiful, not-that-blue cloudless sky welcoming her, and everything else was just peaceful.

Suddenly Aqilah couldn't help but feel very thankful for even having the chance to ride her bike in a peaceful environment. Unlike many, she didn't have bombs suddenly exploding in front of her eyes, her family and friends murdered and having to hear their terrifying screams, merciless soldiers at every sight, neighbours and family starving. Instead, it was quite the opposite. She could see none of those things as she kept riding on her bike. Aqilah felt bad. She felt selfish. She spent a lot of her time doing unimportant things and being lazy. She was never really thankful of everything. She took everything for granted. What if one day, i will lose all of this? she thought to herself.

That bike-ride was a huge wake-up call for Aqilah. The small and big things in life really do matter. Every single thing is a gift. Every challenge is to make us stronger. While many others sleep on the cold ground and wonder when they will get to eat their next meal, a lot of people don't appreciate the comfort and luxury they have. They get to sleep on comfy beds with 5 pillows, eat 5 times a day, have loving and caring family and friends, yet some of them still think it's not enough. Sometimes, you just need to take some time to look around you and remember everything Allah has given you. Always being a thankful person will unconsciously make you happier.

"Don't wanna have to force you to smile,
i'm here to help you notice the rainbow
Cause i know what's in you is out there."

Make the best of your life, while you have every opportunity to do so.
Be thankful, say Alhamdulillah.
And walk on :)

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