Hana Khan Carries On

by Uzma Jalaluddin

“Then you tell me your favorite color so I can send you flowers, your favorite place so I can take you there, your favorite book so I can read it just so we can argue about it. I know you want to work in radio, and I plan to cheer you on every step of the way. I might even listen to TSwift, if you insist.”

I remembered Fazeela’s advice from a few nights before, while her careful hands smoothed and shaped my face. It’s time to think about what you want to do next. It’s okay to be selfish. I had filled my heart and hands with everyone else’s burdens, had accepted their worries as if they had been my own, assuming they were all doing the same for me—but they weren’t. The thought made me feel lonely, and my eyes filled with tears.

There is nothing more powerful than being able to make up your own mind about something. Nothing headier than reaching out your hand and saying, This. I choose this.

The first law of thermodynamics states that energy is neither created nor destroyed, but it can be transformed from one form to another. That law will get you every time, so make sure the energy you put out into the world is positive. Otherwise it will turn the other way and then turn on you.