A Quiet Kind of Pride

I don’t know if any of you noticed it, but recently I’ve been seeing a really beautiful initiative - companies subtly showing their patriotism across their platforms. From app interfaces to Instagram profile pictures… a few that stood out to me were Talabat, Benefit Pay, and ila Bank.

That inspired me to join in too - adding a patriotic touch to my own logo on Instagram.

In my excitement (and a bit of a rush), it didn’t quite go as planned. The alignment was off, the logo ended up half-cropped, and the flag placement felt a bit awkward. I might give it another try soon - hopefully a better version this time.

But beyond the design mishap, what really stayed with me was the feeling behind it all.

As strategic as this kind of move can be, it didn’t feel like strategy. It felt genuine - like a quiet expression of love, appreciation, and connection to this place we call home.

There was a recent period where, despite being in our own homes, we were all feeling the exact same thing at the exact same time. A shared vulnerability. A quiet fear that lived with us in our living rooms. We were separated by walls, yet somehow more connected than ever.

I remember the rhythm of those days. The group chats constantly lighting up: “Did you hear that?” Waking up at the same hour, peeking through the window just to make sure everything was okay. The broken sleep. The heaviness.

And somehow, in the middle of it all, we tried to soften it - sharing memes, making jokes, finding small ways to breathe through the tension.

In those moments, something shifted. That uncomfortable knot in our stomachs revealed something deeper.. we are all in this together.

We were collectively worried - for our safety, our future, and for our beautiful country. And in that shared feeling, there was something grounding. Something unifying.

Bahrain can sometimes feel small, especially with how interconnected everyone is, but maybe that’s also its greatest strength. It functions like a village, but dreams like a city. And there’s something really special about that.

If there’s one silver lining from that difficult time, it’s this renewed awareness of how deeply we care. A quiet kind of patriotism.

It made me realize how proud I am to call this island home. More importantly, it reminded me to be present in the life we were once so afraid of losing.

To return - to the people, the places, the routines that make Bahrain feel like home and to live in it fully again.

Because maybe renewal isn’t about forgetting that feeling - it’s about honoring it. Letting it remind us how much this place means to us, and choosing to show up for it, every day.

During those nights of broken sleep, what was your go-to comfort?

• 0%Checking the group chat 📱

• 0%Sharing/reading memes 🤡

• 0%Peeking out the window 🪟
• 0%Hugging my pets/loved ones 🐾

You can vote for more than one answer.