Sitting in the middle of a luminescent desert with golden sand underfoot, peace reigned.  I was alone save the couple of serene trees gracefully standing tall beside me, defying every creature’s desire and need for water.  The only interruption for miles, was the gentle rush of my breath and the faint hint of scent carried on the zephyrs.  Far away, an intrigued Oryx picked up on my presence and wondered curiously of the strange body imposing itself in the middle of his territory, but this neither crossed my mind, nor worried me.  Eyes closed, I soaked up this mesmerizing image and surrendered myself to it.

Allowing my eyes to flutter open, I noticed that in fact, I was not alone.  Beside me, in this oasis far from our home in Dubai, was my 8-year-old, at that time, daughter.  Her unnoticed presence was a wonderful surprise, for her bubbling chatter normally announced her every move. But, there she sat, next to me and living the same moment I was living. Experiencing, the nothingness of nothing!

That magical moment of peace and tranquillity will remain registered in my mind forever.  A moment where nothing else mattered, where nothing happened, and where we were waiting for nothing to happen.  It was a rare gift to be able to relinquish myself to the serenity of the moment and a welcome change from the tense and oppressive worry, sadness and anxiety that had cluttered my mind following my mother’s passing. It seemed that everything, including my doctorate study and pending projects had just ground to a resolute halt since that day.

Returning back home from our weekend in Ras Al Khaimah to the rushing reality of life was difficult, but I felt something inside me had changed, especially with my daughter by my side.  I had met nothingness and I would never be the same again.