Feeling Bitter-Sweet? Read This.

Eid is coming & Ramadhan is leaving.
I can’t help but to feel bitter-sweet.

It is one of the complex human feelings. Because, you know, some feelings are simple to understand. You know, sometimes you’re sad because your pet died. Sometimes you’re happy that it’s holiday today. Sometimes you’re worried for the result of that test that is coming up.

And then, there’s some feelings that is mixed. Sometimes two distinct, unrelated feelings. Sometimes even contradictory feelings! Happy yet sad. Relieved yet worried (usually for students after tests lol). Feeling content with what you have already, yet ambitious to go after more.

So, like any other feelings that I feel, I try to make sense of it. Of course, no one is perfect, and it’s not my goal to come up with the perfect explanation.

But, as for this bitter-sweet feeling, I believe, one of the reason is, an end is also a beginning.

Like, for now, Ramadhan is ending & Eid is coming. Of course I’ll feel happy & thrilled as the celebration is approaching, all the good happy jolly thing is right around the corner. But that means, I’m leaving Ramadhan. A month full of blessings & tranquility. A month of reviving spirituality. And, to be honest, nothing guarantees me from seeing Ramadhan next year. Anything can happen.
So, here, the end, which is the blessed Ramadhan which is leaving, is the beginning, which is Eid, full of celebration.

It may seem contradictory. It may seem like we’re experiencing cognitive dissonance (the mental pressure that arrives from holding two conflicting thoughts).

But it does not necessarily mean that way.
Because, when one thing ends, it gives room for another, even may be more, things to come.

The end of Ramadhan gives room for the celebration for Ramadhan itself.
The end of a test gives room for reflection, so we can do better for more tests.

It doesn’t end until we end. And despite that, our loss itself, gives new room for new things. Definitely our beloved people will mourn. But they’ll move on and work towards opportunities that they get, that they may not get while you’re around. (And that is not a bad thing).

My point is, bitter-sweet is a mixture of feeling melancholic of an ending, yet optimistic for a beginning.
And I’ve thought a very good way to utilize this feeling; be prepared.

Since Ramadhan is ending, I should work my spiritual level my very best, so it could maintain at a high level for the remaining 11 months.

Since the result is coming, brace yourself with optimistic hope yet realistic expectations, along with some probable reasons why the result could be that way. So, you’ll do well for more to come.

You can prepare if something shall happen to you. Ranging from aligning your actions to what you believe will happen to you when you die, to managing external matters like your possessions, your business, etc.

So, to end this, feeling is this one complicated thing that God have given us. And yes, they are important, and in some places, they have a very definitive say on what to do. But, most of the times, it’s what we do with that feelings that matter. Everyone would act emotionally if they can. But, the best action is the one that validates our emotion, yet rational enough to not cause harm to anyone.

May this Ramadhan has prepared us as much as possible for the 11 months.
Thank you for reading. Happy Eid!