Ramadan is my favorite time of year for a whole host of reasons. It's the holy month—a time of reflection and prayer. The act of fasting itself is both very humbling and incredibly empowering, but one of the best things about Ramadan is that it's such a unifying force. Regardless of your sect, ethnic background, economic status or geographical location, millions of Muslims around the world are observing fast during the holy month. And so, since we are all doing the same thing, we're bound to share a few common experiences. These are just a few.

1. Waking up for suhoor and trying to eat as much as you can before sunrise.

Everyone is tired and nodding off at the table, but you eat anyways because you know you'll regret it if you don't.

2. When you go to Costco and try to pretend that the free samples aren't there.

Free samples? What free samples? No, no—DON'T LOOK!

3. When you're super thirsty but it's not even close to iftar.

Then you spend the day praying to Allah to give you strength and patience and you just need to wait 9 hours, 3 minutes and 23 seconds.

4. If you eat too much after iftar.

Full, too full. And honestly you didn't even eat that much, but since you haven't eaten all day, it feels like a lot.

5. "So you can't drink anything? Not even water?!"

6. "I could never do that."

But you fast. Heck, you've been fasting before you hit puberty. Yeah, you're just that amazing.

7. There's that one little kid in your family that really wants to fast but they're only allowed to/can do half a day.

Your little cousin Mariam made it until noon, but you praise her as though she went the whole day, because you remember trying to fast when you were a kid. It's super cute and endearing when they do, and soon enough they'll be nodding off at the table at suhoor with you.

8. When all you see on social media is pictures of food.

Why is food the only thing anyone posts on social media? Is it like this all the time and I'm only really noticing now because I'm fasting? Ya Allah, that's it. I'm avoiding Instagram until iftar.

9. As soon as it's iftar time and everyone rushes to the dinner table.

Yeah, I'd say more, but it's iftar and I'm not interested in talking until I've finished my first helping of rice.

10. If you forget you're fasting and eat something and then remember .5 seconds later.

Then you say all the prayers you know and continue to fast the rest of the day, like it never happened.

11. When you decide one night you're not going to wake up for suhoor but end up really hungry/thirsty the next day.

You were so tired and what does one even eat at 3 am in the morning everyday?! So you decided not to wake up for suhoor and now you're hungry/thirsty and not going to skip it again.