Kind of personal but whatever… opening my dream box
Hey guys! I wanted to share a personal DIY-ish project. I call it my “dream box” because it has items that represent different parts of my dream future. Each item has a letter that reminds me of why I put the item in the box in the first place.
I think it’s very important to know your “why” in life and for me, having physical things in front of me has really helped me a lot. In this post I share five items in my dream box:
The transcript if you prefer reading:
5 items in my Dream Box:
note: this is a rough transcript, so excuse the grammar
1. Name tag latch
This is a gift for my future myself I bought. I know I mentioned this a lot but I hope to get into academia in the future inshallah, so this is a small way to manifest this for me. It’s the latch that is used to put your ID card if you work in a lab or the hospital. I felt like it’s so me because it has flowers, papers, and in the middle is the organ that I’m studying. The letter I wrote to it is signed: “to Asli the scientist.” Buying this just makes it seem more real, like it’s going to happen.
One point from the letter I wrote to myself I’d like to share is that my favourite thing about academia is the freedom to explore, the curiosity, and I hope I never lose sight of that. I’ve always gravitated towards academia because of this, I feel like it’s such a genuine field, it’s never more than passion for what you are studying.
2. Africa
The 2nd thing I wanted to share was this necklace of Africa. I have a lot of love for this continent and the people in it. One thing from the letter I wrote I wanted to share is that with whatever I’m doing in the future I hope I don’t ever forget the bigger picture. I know it’s so easy to get caught up in life’s routine and your own micro-life but I hope with whatever my future holds, I’m doing something for my people.
3. Somalia
My itinerary for the first time I went to Somalia (2017) I remember when I first got this I kept staring at it, I just couldn’t believe I was going home and I keep this with me to remind me the awe.
The reason why I separate Somalia from Africa in my head is because to me, Africa is my home but I am my country. I know I’m going to live here permanently sometime in the future inshallah. But one thing from my letter I wanted to remind myself that a country recovering from a civil war has its challenges and I’ve seen too many times where Somalis in Somalia end up pessimistic because of the peoples’ resistance for good, or unwillingness to help. This phenomenon is not exclusive to Somalia, whenever you are trying to add good to any system, this is what you will face. But if your intentions are real it does not matter. I hate hearing people say theres no hope because the kids are full of life and they don’t deserve to be abandoned because of the mistakes of previous generations. How can you look them in the eye and tell them their future is full of nothing before it even started? It’s their country and they can make what they want with it. As I make my move to permanently live there I hope I always remain as optimistic for its bright future as I am now. I just know Somalia has a bright future. Much love to my people.
4. Flower
I hope I stay soft. There are so much things that happen in life that can make you bitter and pessimistic I don’t want to fall victim to that. I hope I see life as I see it now.
I hope I stay odd like nature. I hope as I navigate through different spaces, I don’t shy away from my femininity. I notice sometimes in professional spaces people confuse femininity/sweetness with stupidity and that is most certainly not the case. I can do everything I set my mind to while staying who I am. If it takes longer or some people don’t understand then so be it.
5. Compass
Might be cheesy lol but I got this compass to represent the deen because you use it to find the qibla and it means if you ever feel lost, Who will guide you is Allah. I just think this world can get really dark and life doesn’t go as expected most of the time. It’s important to know your purpose and there is no greater purpose than being the ‘abd of Allah. Even if nothing goes your way in this dunya it should bring you peace knowing you fulfilled what you were created to do, and whatever your intentions were heard.
One thing I’ll share that I wanted to remind myself in the letter: one day your story will end & you will reach your grave, so be mindful how you move during this short time. That’s something I hope I never forget.
All in all,
That’s just a little about me and my values, the things I cherish the most. If you made a dream box what items would you put into it? What are your dreams and aspirations? Do you feel like you’re in tune with yourself? Let me know in the comments!
