Sophie strategically stacked the food in the tagine; meats and potatoes on the bottom, as they took more heat to cook, while food that required less time and heat, like tomatoes, sat on the top. We made marinades to steam the food in; a curry juice and a coconut Thai. My favorite was a sweet tagine with a honey marinade filled with dates, prunes, and figs. I loved the communal way we ate from the same tagine using fresh bread to scoop up the cuisine. We dined on our back porch serenaded by the lapping waves of the sea below us and a ceiling of shimmering stars above.
The next night on a similar rooftop porch I met a Canadian yoga instructor at a farewell party. She fell in love with Morocco and a Moroccan, and shared a popular saying that she had tattooed on her leg.
“Inshallah means accepting that God sometimes works in mysterious ways; sort of an acknowledgment that He is in control of our plans. It is like saying, ‘God willing’ when you make plans to do something.”
I agreed with the idea and liked the word. Inshallah is a prevalent idea in the Bible. Isaiah 41 is one example, “Who makes things happen? Who controls human events? I do! I am the Lord. I was there at the beginning, and I will be there at the end.” Proverbs 16:1 is another example, “Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word.”
While traveling and surfing almost everything was out of my control. Planning a day or weeks movements brought comfort as it gave the illusion I was in control. Inshallah reminded me of who was really in control, and I knew the one in control had my best interest at heart. The simple phrase brought peace.
Earlier Sophie and I were plotting a road trip to surf in some lesser known spots and to see more of the country. We even planned to sleep in a cave one night. I already saw us snuggled around a fire and being woken up by the first light of dawn, slipping on our wetsuits and being the first in the water. Inshallah.
