This Eid, let us grow with grace

Observer

2 days ago

They stood in a row, robes a little too long, shoes slightly untied, voices carrying more truth than they knew as they sang: 'One step closer to being the best that I can be.' I had the honour of placing diplomas in their small hands, one after another. Each child beamed as if the paper held the world. And maybe, in their eyes, it did. I was the guest of honour at a kindergarten graduation, but I left feeling like the student. There was something in their quiet pride, in their unfiltered joy, that made me pause. Growth, I was reminded, is not always loud.
Often, it is gentle. Sometimes, it sings.
That whisper of becoming followed me into another room a few days later, this time filled with women. They were bright, bold and curious. We gathered for a mentoring session designed to stir reflection, not just instruction. What does it mean to lead? What does it mean to grow? And what happens when we stop waiting for permission to step into who we already are? The conversation turned inward, then rippled outward. We spoke of the small decisions that shape us. Of how leadership is not always found at the front of a room, but often in the quiet, behind-the-scenes moments when we dare to act from purpose. Some women spoke about reclaiming their voice after years of silence. Others talked about navigating ambition in places that still expect restraint. Many simply admitted they were tired of doing it all alone, carrying strength like armor no one sees.But what moved me most was not the polished insights. It was the honesty. The shared sighs. The collective realisation that growth can be uncertain, non-linear and still entirely worthwhile.
Now, as Eid Al Adha draws near, I find myself returning to those two rooms. One was filled with children just beginning their journey. The other was filled with women still rewriting theirs. Eid is a time of celebration, but also of surrender. It is a moment to remember that giving is a form of becoming and that sacrifice is not always about loss, but about space. Making space for something greater. A deeper purpose. A clearer self.
It is easy to measure our lives by milestones. But lately, I am more interested in the in-between.
The quiet steps. The tender pivots. The uncelebrated moments that slowly, patiently, turn us into who we are meant to be.
This Eid, I hope we can soften the need to arrive and instead honour the journey. I hope we speak to ourselves more kindly, ask for support without guilt and show up with open hearts. Not only for others, but for ourselves too. We are all still becoming. One lesson at a time. One choice at a time. One step closer.
To the children who reminded me of joy and the women who reminded me of courage, thank you. You reminded me that growth is not a finish line. It is a daily return to what matters. Eid Mubarak. May this season bring you closer to who you already are and all you are still becoming.
BLURB
Eid is a time of celebration, but also of surrender. It is a moment to remember that giving is a form of becoming and that sacrifice is not always about loss, but about space. Making space for something greater. A deeper purpose. A clearer self.