Most of my friends know that I work (I am still serving my notice period) for an American brand for almost 4 years now as an Area Visual Manager. So when I decided to submit my resignation letter recently, a lot of people thought I was making a mistake because I was earning a good income, I have good benefits, my schedule was good (weekends off) and plus my position in an established company like that was an asset to my CV. So why did I really quit?
Five years ago…
Five years ago, we thought of opening a restaurant here in Dubai so we applied for a loan. One of our long time friends (I actually lived with them for 2 years) wanted to invest too and be our business partner. She had a cargo business and worked for a construction company and her husband worked for the biggest airline in Dubai. I know where her kids went to school so I felt we could trust them. It was good to open a business with someone who knows accounting and experience. What could go wrong?
She told us that since we are waiting for the actual building where we signed the place for to get finished, we can invest the loaned money in her business and at least get an interest on it. She issued us post-dated cheques as an assurance. Just after month, we called her to follow up with the interest to pay for the loan installment as she promised. She asked for a week, which became a month and soon she wasn’t answering calls. So I contacted the company she worked for and they told me she went AWOL. I asked if there was any information about her, they told us none. We were devastated. All the cheques bounced as there were no funds in her account.
How were we supposed to pay for the loans?! Our salaries were just enough to pay for the loan and rent, so what were we going to eat, move around and send money back home? I was angry everyday and thoughts of revenge filled my brain. But then, I saw God’s provision everyday. We were doing photography for a few friends but then we got calls from strangers asking for our services. It helped with the expenses. Then we got more inquiries 1 month after the other.
Then I got a better paying job! God was so good. I slowly learned to forgive and let God handle it. But then I got pregnant! With no insurance and just enough income to support the 2 of us, we are now bringing another life in this world and having a baby here in Dubai was expensive. I felt resentful and anxious but praying and reading God’s word calmed my spirit. God provided everything through clients and helpful friends. I am just blessed to have Arish as my husband who always reminded me that everything will be ok.
Is this life?
So for 3 years we have managed to work our full time jobs and shoot on a couple of weekends and still enjoy life. Until recently, our projects doubled from last year. I am not complaining as we felt it was raining blessings. (A big thank you for the couples and families who put their trust in us!) But then I was sleeping at 2am if not 3am. I felt wasted. As soon as I reach home, I guiltily ignore Khloe’s (our daughter) calls for attention. “Mommy, stop busy!” she would say while pulling on my sleeve. But we had to meet deadlines so I had to play deaf or pretend to play with her for a few minutes and then go back to being busy.
We always wanted a business to call our own but we never had to courage to quit our jobs. Our jobs gave us a stable income plus doing both gave us more money than we needed. But we were not living the life we wanted,…we were not living a LIFE at all.
God gave us many signs before we finally decided that one of us would focus on establishing MelRish but the biggest factor was Khloe and my spiritual well-being. I was too tired to pray and I didn’t have the time to spend quiet time reflecting on God’s word. I am just glad that it was never too late for us to make the decision. I read on one of those shared posts on Facebook that they have surveyed people on their deathbeds and one of the most common regrets was working too hard to enjoy life. I don’t want to be on my deathbed to realize this one. Like what my parents always say, “family first.” Life is not about how much money you make but the moments you spend with the people that matter most. Now every morning I wake up, I thank God for a new day, another chance to make a new beginning.
One of the cons of having this business is that you do not know how much you will earn next month or the month after that. Honestly, I still have lump in my heart of anxiety. Am I excited? Yes. Am I afraid? Honestly I can’t help but get a bit worried. But then I thought, if God provided for us for all those years when we thought we will not eat for a month, why should I doubt Him now. Whatever is in store for us in the future, I know it is for our good because God loves us.
PS. Since a post with not a lot of photos is boring, here are a few shots from 2013 that we didn’t have time to post. Looking forward to spending time with our little one who is not so little anymore.
