Test of Today - Debating Delays

November 20, 2025

Salam and good evening.

I’m pretty tired right now so please excuse my brevity and in case my thoughts don’t make a whole lot of sense.

Today’s topic and test was all about delay. I received confirmation that I am booked for surgery for early next week, and I would then find out if I have a lifelong battle with another disorder ahead of me or that they have found the cause of my pain, and removed it.

I have been waiting over a year for this surgery, in Canada at least. Had I spent money that I did not have, I would have been able to get this surgery done in another country and had my answers in a much shorter time frame. That wasn’t a real option for me.

Delays can be demotivating. Delays can even be debilitating.

And sometimes, delays must happen, and they are a blessing in disguise.

I had to delay applying to law school for multiple reasons, mainly to do with my health.

Today, I had to decide to cause a delay that I didn’t want, but knew that doing so, was the best thing for me. I had to postpone the launch event for my new small business, my first official business. I had been planning and prepping for months and weeks and finally settled on a date, this weekend.

Then I got a call telling me that the surgery, which I needed to prepare for, would happen in the days after the event. My anxiety soared. My mind started racing.

I tried to first convince myself that I could do both, that it would be fine. Then I started to think more practically about all the preparation I had to do before the surgery.

Firstly, I had to make sure that I was as healthy as possible before the surgery; meaning no surprise infections or sicknesses, which were common especially after social gatherings for me.

Then there was the matter of making sure my home was prepped and stocked for the weeks after the surgery. Given that Canada often sends patients home on the same day for most procedures now, I had to make sure I had meals ready, medicines ready, and any additional supplies for cleaning and changing wound dressings.

I’m blessed to have help and support nearby. I am grateful that I won’t be alone in my recovery but I still have immense anxiety about it all.

The last time I underwent surgery and intubation, I suffered complications that lead me back to the hospital. So, there is always the fear that I might deal with that again.

I’m trying to stay calm and hopeful. The only comfort I have is in my faith that Allah SWT will protect me and keep me safe before, during, and after the procedure.

So, while one delay felt larger and made me feel defeated, I will finally be getting an answer (I pray), and I hope to be able to get back to a state of normalcy, or whatever that may look like.

I will not be giving up on my venture; I’m just taking the time to focus on myself and ensure that I can put 100% in all my work.

Delays are not always bad; they might just be what the doctor ordered.

Salam.