Serenity for the Storm of Life

By Dana Alrahbi

Have you ever wanted something that seemed impossible? Ever seen a goal that seemed unrealistic, or far out of your reach?

This book tells you how to reach that goal.

Amal is a dreamer. More importantly, she’s a dreamer with a track record of making her dreams a reality.

As a happily married mother of four, a nationally recognized award-winning public servant, and a Doctoral candidate, she’s had to learn a lot about getting things done. She’s also learned how to enjoy the rewards of her hard work, even when it seems that her to-do list never ends.

There have been times when reaching all of these goals together seemed impossible - so impossible, she almost gave up.

But that’s when Amal reaches for her secrets to success. And now, she’s sharing them with you.

From intensely practical tips about time management and self-care to profound spiritual lessons from a decade of marriage, motherhood, and public service, this book lets you into the mind and daily life of someone who has it all - family, career, and serenity in the storm of life.

This is the book Amal wishes she had read ten years ago.

Whether you’re a parent, a newlywed, an overwhelmed professional, or a student just starting out on life’s journey - this book is for you.

The writer hopes it will bring you clarity and self-love, no matter what path you choose to walk.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dana Alrahbi
• Release date: Feb 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9780578463667

Dana Alrahbi

Dana Alrahbi knows how to make dreams a reality. Through determined dreaming and careful planning, she has managed to become a wife, mom of four, award-winning public servant, and Doctoral student. And she is done it all in the United Arab Emirates - one of the most economically thriving countries in the world. Now, she's adding author to that list, by writing the book she wishes she had read ten years ago. She'll share how her readers from all walks of life can accomplish all of their desires through the same combination of courageous envisioning and determined action. She hopes to energize those who may have given up on their dreams - and empower fellow dreamers to make their visions a reality.

Book preview

Introduction

Some people say

you can’t have it all. Surely, they say, it is not possible to be a wife, mother, professional, and student all at the same time! It’s best to choose just two, they say – no one could do all four!

I am here to show you that’s not true.

My name is Amal. I am a wife to a loving husband, a mom of 4 little angels, an award-winning public service professional with a government organization, and a doctoral student at a local university. I have been playing all of these roles together for the past 10 years. I chose to write this book to share with you all my tips and experiences for how:

You can enjoy a romantic dinner with your husband while having an important university deadline in the morning.

You can present your graduation thesis while feeling your baby’s kick in your 8-months-pregnant belly.

You can win an organizational excellence award, while playing an important role in your child’s parent-teacher conferences.

You can publish your scientific research in a well-known international journal, and have your kids all around you at bedtime, listening to an amazing adventure story that you just made up.

This book will guide you to find the balance you need to play all of these roles and not just achieve all your dreams, but enjoy the whole journey too.

Part I

The Storm

Chapter 1

What It’s Like To Have It All

Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.

-Jim Rohn

It is a

week day, and like every morning my alarm goes off at 5:30 am. Outside, the sky is a deep blue, brightening towards dawn. The world is as quiet as it ever gets in Abu Dhabi, and the solitude of being one of the first people awake in my household is soothing. Only Sofia, our wonderful family cook, is already awake in the kitchen. Because of her, the scent of vanilla wafts through the house - the kids’ breakfast pancakes cooking.

But the day is about to get busy. My tasks for the morning are not exactly simple.

I get myself ready for a day full of work, university tasks, and motherly duties. I am a professional, and I need to dress with the style and authority that shows that –. Then, it’s on to taking care of the rest of my family.

I wake up the kids – my adorable two-year-old, Zayed, five-year-old twins Mariam and Saif, and seven-year-old Sara.

The twins are almost used to getting up for school in the morning, but little Zayed is not a fan of being woken up early! He flails and cries while the twins eat their pancakes with syrup and milk, glancing at each other with big, twinkling eyes. Sometimes, their little brother’s antics make them feel very grown-up and mature.

For my husband Salem and I, breakfast is my power smoothie specialty for busy parents: frozen fruits, greek yogurt, almond milk, chia seeds, and spinach leaves. This tasty breakfast packed with protein, fruit, and other healthy nutrients helps my husband and I handle all our tasks with ease.

Little Saif has already begun to develop a taste for the stuff - as I pour my husband and I’s breakfasts into our travel cups, he follows me around with his empty milk glass, asking for a taste with big eyes. I pour a taste from the blender into his cup, and he guzzles this rare taste of adult life down happily. He is showing great signs of developing a healthy diet!

I kiss my husband and kids goodbye before the family parts ways: my husband and I to our offices, my children to their schools and nurseries.

I arrive at the office at 7:30, ready to start my work day.

The government office building is the height of modernity, with glass interior walls so we can see each other working, and huge windows that allow sunlight to pour in. This morning I wave to my colleagues as I sit down on the desk, catch up on the news, and check the ever-expanding to-do list that is my e-mail inbox.

It was in this office that I won my Excellence Award in 2017 - a moment more touching than I can express, as so many of my colleagues brought me beautiful flower arrangements that the office overflowed with them. There were tulips, orchids, and roses. I like to think that my office is still filled with those loving energies to this day!

Planning, strategizing, creating, and advising: that’s my job description. As a Corporate Identity Manager, I’m responsible for helping the government organization I work for to communicate with the public. That means managing a team, assigning tasks, and making sure that all the work that comes out of my department has a consistent brand. This is harder than it might sound!

An hour flies by as I read through e-mails about how various tasks are going, and asking for my evaluation of their results.

Today is unusual. Instead of staying until the end of business hours, I’ll leave the office in the mid-morning because I have another commitment to attend to: it’s National Day, and I’ve promised to attend celebrations at Sara’s school, the twins’ school, and Zayed’s nursery.

I will be going alone this time. On a perfect day my husband and I would both attend, but this National Day he had urgent work commitments. So just like he takes the kids to their appointments when I cannot get away from work, I will cover National Day for both of us. I’ll bring food for the class potluck, and taking lots of pictures to share with him!

The nursery party is first. I have to arrive early, because I’m bringing food. My cook, Sofia, is preparing my favourite dish of marqoqa.

This dish mixes a tasty stew of chicken, potatoes, onions, garlic, curry, tomato, and lemon, with a traditional Arabic flatbread. The bread absorbs the stew and becomes melt-in-your-mouth and intensely flavorful while adding the taste of toasted wheat to the dish.

I stop at the end of my driveway, where Sofia runs the dish to the car. As she places it on the passenger seat with a proud smile, the car fills with the scent of spice and lemon. I hope Zayed’s teachers will like it - and not just because I want to win the ‘best traditional dish’ competition his nursery is having for the holiday!

Thank you, Sofia! Have a wonderful day! And then I’m off again.

At the nursery, Zayed dances on stage. It’s not really ‘dancing,’ of course. He waves his chubby arms and moves his tiny feet, smiling because all the adults are watching him. There aren’t a lot of things more adorable than a nursery full of two-year-olds dancing for National Day! That’s why I take a lot of pictures, and some short video for good measure. I know my husband wishes he were here – and video is the next best thing!

As the kids step off the stage, running – well, toddling – to meet their parents, the teachers begin to call out the winners of the traditional food contest. So many women have brought their favourite traditional dishes - stews and grilled meat, grilled vegetable and rice dishes. The classroom smells better than a restaurant, because these dishes have the attention to detail that only a family’s love can bring.

The teachers and parents go from dish to dish, sampling the amazing array. Then they drop little pieces of paper into a box, with the name of their favourite dish written on it. All the while, little ones run around excitedly, being herded by some of the teachers and parents. They smell the delicious smells and see all the parents, and they know this is a party. But they are not quite sure what to do with themselves, except tug on their mother’s skirts to be held!

I sit with my plate of many tasty dishes, grateful for a moment to sit still and enjoy.

In one corner, the teachers carefully count out the votes for best dish. And in first place, one of them announces finally, after consulting with the others, …Amal and her son Zayed, for their marqoqa!

I squeal with delight. Even though I have been doing all of this for ten years - wife, mother, professional, student - I still sometimes wonder if I can do each task as well as it deserves. Moments like this remind me that I can.

But I can’t stay much longer! It is now 9:40am - and I am due next at Mariam and Saif’s party.

Their school is 20 minutes from Zayed’s nursery. I have learned from experience exactly how long it takes to drive there, and leave with five minutes to spare. But there is one thing I did not calculate - it is much harder to find a parking place in the lot than it is to simply drop the twins off in the morning!

I weave through aisles of parking spaces filled with cars, looking desperately for one that is open. Finally, I see it - one single space that the other parents have missed! I pull into it and literally run for the auditorium, my heels clacking loudly on the school’s tile floor. Looking dignified can wait - I need to see my twins’ performance!

When I reach the auditorium, I’m in luck. I sneak in a side door, and find that there is an empty seat in the second row. I take my seat only two or three meters from the stage, and wave to Mariam and Saif. They huddle with their classmates, smiling nervously. Like everything, they take this performance very seriously. I know already they are two little perfectionists.

The music starts and the class comes forth. The five-year-olds all sing and dance together. Their teachers surround them, also clapping and singing, setting a confident example for the children. Inspired by their teachers’ confidence, Saif and Mariam dance and sing confidently too, their voices rising with the other childrens’. I hope they will always have the confidence to raise their voices.

As the performance wraps up, I wait in my seat with my camera poised. I have one more mission for this visit. As the teachers start to herd the students off the stage to meet their parents in the audience, I stand up and motion for them to wait. I hurry along the stage to the stairs - determined to get a selfie with all of the student and teachers, fitting this huge group into one single cell phone selfie shot.

I kneel to give my Mariam and Saif big hugs. They are so proud of what they have done, with everybody watching them on stage. I tell them I am so proud of them too. But they know I have to go then - having three siblings means having to share your mom!

Seven-year-old Sara’s school is next. The second-graders are to perform on their school stage, wearing matching dresses. They dance to music that is piped over the speakers - a catchy, fast-paced tune, and their dancing is truly impressive.

It has been an amazing thing to watch my oldest child grow - going from a little baby into a seven-year-old. Next thing I know, she will be an adult!

I do not dare to try to assemble the whole second grade for a selfie, so instead I greet Sara