by AnnSheybani | Dec 23, 2013 | Cultural Issues, death, Faith, fatalism, free will, God, Islamic Fundamentalist, Life
How much of your life do you consider blind luck, and how much do you attribute to the choices you have made? Muslims are fatalists. They believe what’s ordained is ordained; and no one but God can alter anything. Each event, small or large, long before it ever...
by AnnSheybani | Oct 21, 2013 | Authenticity, Betrayal, confrontation, connection, Courage, Cultural Issues, death, divorce, guilt, Honesty, husband, identity, Intimacy, Iran, Life, marriage, mixed marriages, risk, Self love, tension, voice
The summer I came back to the States, the fall I chose never to go back to Iran, I told myself that if I could just get away from my husband’s family, just gain a little control, then all my troubles would magically disappear. I understood that if I refused to go...
by AnnSheybani | Jul 7, 2013 | climbing lessons, death, Denali, desire, developing world, Dinah Shore, Gail Sheehy, goals, gratitude, identity, process, Rescue, running, Second Adulthood, Secrets, Shiraz, slavery, South Beach Diet, The Confidence Garden
Because we learn best from people who understand our demons. An alcoholic is best helped by a former drunk. The mother of an autistic child needs someone who has run the gauntlet themselves. You kinda want your divorce lawyer to understand your impulse to burn your...
by AnnSheybani | Dec 3, 2012 | dating, death, divorce, expectations, guilt, identity, life transitions, match profile, Match.com, recovery, reinvention, Self love, weight loss
Sometimes we get tired and don’t want to have to try anymore. We want to be loved and appreciated, just for being the decent human being we are. Which is exactly how I felt the year of the salmon-colored capris. It had been one hell of a “season.” I’d spent two and...
by AnnSheybani | Sep 11, 2012 | death, dying, Faith, gratitude, identity, love, parenting, Suzzane Falter-Barnes
I read this today on Facebook. It was written by a thought-leader named Suzanne Falter-Barns. For someone like me, who has spent a lifetime running away from her feelings, who has judged herself and others so harshly, this took my breath away. I am here to report...
by AnnSheybani | May 31, 2010 | cancer, Cultural Issues, death, dying, Faith, fatalism, Final Gifts, hospice nurse, Kubler-Ross
So much time has passed, but the two and a half years of illness are still fresh in my mind. I can still hear his voice calling me from the hospital after exploratory surgery. From the tone, I know something is terribly wrong even before he tells me. He’s supposed...
