Long ago, when we were trying to decide where to settle, Pakistan, UAE, or Canada, we met a family friend who had moved from the UAE to Canada. As we talked about the challenges of life there and weighed the pros and cons of living in Canada, he said something that has stayed with me ever since:
“There is no perfect place to live in this world. The only place where you’ll find complete peace and perfection is Jannah, and you can’t have Jannah in this world.”
Those words never left me.
Life moved on. We moved cities, then countries. Our last move wasn’t even part of our plan, it was part of Allah’s plan. Because of work, we had to leave the home and life we had built over 20 years in Canada and move to Dallas.
We left behind our comfort zone, our family and friends, and nine months of winter, snow, and grey skies, and embraced three months of intense summer and nine months of balanced weather. Looking back, it wasn’t nearly as difficult as we had imagined.
We made new friends, built a community, and did our best to create a life we could truly enjoy. I’ve come to believe that when you genuinely make an effort to be happy, life somehow meets you halfway.
Sometimes I see people surrounded by every comfort imaginable, centrally heated and air-conditioned homes, reliable electricity, comfortable cars, shopping malls, and every convenience, yet constantly complaining about the weather. I understand that extreme heat can be difficult. It is.
But most of us come from a place where 10 to 12 hours of load shedding in peak summer was normal, and sometimes electricity would be gone for days. Where central air conditioning wasn’t common, and comfort itself was considered a luxury.
Maybe that’s why I don’t see much point in complaining about things I once prayed for.
Be grateful!
Wherever life takes you, choose to find joy there. Build your home, build your people, and build your peace.
Because the perfect place doesn’t exist in this world.
The only perfect home is Jannah. I hope and pray that we can all be together there one day. 
Quratul ain Saba