Category: Just writing

Just writing

The Darkest Nights

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They say:  the darkest nights produce the brightest stars.

Isn’t it a beautiful proverb?

They also say the most darkest moment of the night comes just before the first light of dawn.

How many times do you feel lonely, desperate, and unsuccessful? And then, just when you are on the verge of giving up, you see luminous stars light up your dark night, and later on, the light of the dawn breaks through your faraway deep sky.

Definitely, these sayings are meant to give hope and assurance. Everything is possible, but things might take time. However, patience, sometimes, is too hard to be your friend, especially if you are the desperate not the advisor. But, you’ll be blessed if prayers are your shield.

Oh poor you, if you play the advisor giving these nice, hopeful, assuring phrases. The desperate would not listen, might even shoot you because they are trapped in the tightest circle of despair. “The hands in cold water are not like the hands in the fire.” This is what you hear in Arabic when you play the advisor or the wise man.

Then, when the miracle happens, when the solution comes, and when another chance is granted, the desperate will see the lumnious stars and the light of the dawn, and perhaps one day play the advisor to another desperate soul.

In brief, challenges and struggles are what make us understand how the darkest night can produce the brightest stars.

Have you ever seen the lumnious stars in the darkest nights?

I believe we all do.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Just writing

Curiosity and Adventure

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Are they closely related?

You might find yourself curious about something or someone. You might be eager to seek more details, sneaking and sniffing here and there like a cat after a mouse, and staying alert day and night like a secret detective on a top- secret mission. What you are investigating might be non of your business, or it could be part of your own business. In any case, you won’t rest, won’t give up, and will never feel satisfied until you uncover what have been mysterious for you.

Isn’t this what curiosity is? Am I exaggerating, a bit?

However, you won’t be curious unless you are interested, attached, and involved with that specific person or thing. For example, when your neighbour’s driveway is suddendly full of cars, your curiosity might soar to its highest levels. But, you won’t be as interested in a similar situation on the next street.

Hence comes the close relation between curiosity and adventure, for, of course, you won’t be glued in the spot if you’re curious about something or someone. You’ll need to move in one direction, or all directions. However, this is when problems, dangers, and mistakes become too close to happen if you’re not careful enough. Your curiosity could become like the one that killed the cat. That’s when the two cousins, curiosity and adventure, turn you blind and deaf to reason, and push you from the brink of the cliff.

Strange how both curiosity and adventure can brighten your life and also darken it!

Have you read Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier? Mary’s story might give you a living example of these two related traits?

Here’s the link for my review:

/https://nh825.wordpress.com/2025/01/27/jamaica-inn/

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Just writing

Would You Take The Risk?

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If you had a choice to play the big gamble in your life, to stand still before a fully loaded gun save one of its chambers, listen to the click of its trigger, and wait for the bullet that might be fired and hit you dead, or for the one that would never come out. You might end up lying dead on the ground, or you might go home with a million pounds. What would you do?

That was one of the oddest and simplest questions I never expected to be asked during my converstation exam in my final year at university. To be honest, I was pleased to have this one, and I felt so blessed.

Do you want to know why?

Simply because my answer slipped off my tongue without giving it a second thought.Things wouldn’t have been the same if any of my friends’ questions had been mine. It wasn’t because theirs were harder, but because, sometimes, you just can’t talk genuinely about everything.

‘No, I wouldn’t risk my life.’

‘But, it’s a million pounds. There’s a chance you could get it.’

‘Even if they paid me the money in advance to enjoy and spend my life before making the gamble, I wouldn’t take the risk. My life is priceless, and my God didn’t bless me with a divine soul to gamble with it.’

That was my answer, and that year I got the best mark of my converstation exams over the four years of my university studies.

Money will come anyway, whether a little or in abundance, but you live once, and this once can be millions lives, both imaginary and real. Would you risk all that for just a million pound that might worth nothing in the next hour?

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

P.S. I think nowadays the million pounds prize should be, at least, a trillion.

Just writing

A friend to all

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… is not a friend at all.

Have you ever heard this saying? It makes sense, doesn’t it?

Isn’t it odd that one can be your friend and your rival’s, your opponent’s, even your enemy’s? You can, of course, be kind to all, but not a friend to all. I am not talking about social media friends, for in this case you can be a friend to millions. Online frienhip is exactly what it implies “online”. I am talking about real, close friends who you can trust, love, agree, or even disagree with. Perhaps that’s why true friendship is a rare gem, too hard to find and too precious to keep.

In fiction, and in real life, true friendhip could take you by surprise. An old man might be a young child’s best friend, a man of the world might be a saint’s, a prisoner might be his keeper’s, and an animal might be a man’s. In all cases, its the quality,  not quantity that makes unique friendships.

Wouldn’t it be better if this friend of all should be a passerby after all?

Perhaps you can change the saying and add whatever you like.

A friend to all …..

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Just writing

The actor

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I once heard that an actor’s testimony can not be validated. I have no idea whether this notion has any reference, but I suggest it’s merely a point of view, likely as a reference to the lack of credibility.

Acting is a talent before being a profession. How many actors are there in the world? Countless, right? But how many are truely talented? Just a few, wouldn’t you agree?

The talented will make you weep, scream, laugh, hate, love, and sympathise with them. Above all, they make you believe whatever they’re giving you. The untalented will make you neutral, if not bored.

Perhaps, this is why some think that a real actor’s testimony might be considered invalid. After all, the courtroom can’t be a stage, and truth can’t be dramatised. Truth has to be proved with competent, relevant, credible, and unbiased testimony.

Have you ever noticed how many writers make it clear from the very beginning of their novels that it’s all fictional? They don’t want to mislead their readers, to bear no responsibility if things were not accurate. While the story and characters may reflect something or someone in real life, it’s all based on imagination.

Truth can’t be imagined, but imagination cam help us see the truth.

What do you think? Are you still reading? Pray tell, you are!

By the way, there are many unknown actors who perform better in real life than on the stage. They are professional, but not talented. Ironically, they can’t be exempt from giving testimony. Hopefully, the judge, would never be one.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Just writing

My one-of-a- kind reading strategy

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While reading, I sometimes come across mentions of authors. Immediately, before I forgot, I check their brief biography and pick one of their books in my want-to-read list. Occasionally, though rarely, the book is a suggestion or a recommendation.

Honestly, I am not always loyal be to my want -to- read list. But the good thing is that once I make my mind to read a book, I will read it all. It’s something like challenging  myself, or out of curiosity to discover what this book has for me.

How long does it take to finish a book? That depends on how I like the book. If it is boring, and I feel like I won’t enjoy it, I read it when I am bored or when I don’t bother interruptions. For example, at a  café or when I am waiting for my daughter to finish her clubs.That’s why some books take much longer than others for me to finish.

On the other hand, I will read the books I like when it’s all quiet, espcially at home. I will finish them before I could even know it. With this strategy, I might have two books to read at the same time, one like a player on the bench waiting to be in action, and another scoring a goal after goal on the pitch.

Sometimes I wonder, you might too, why I just don’t return the book I don’t like, or keep it unread on the shelf? Honestly, I just feel there’s always something hidden there to learn. The only exception, when my mind won’t work this way, is when I’ve watched its adaptation which, for me, means all the fun of reading is blown into thin air.

I am sure you haven’t heard of this strategy before, or have you?

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Just writing

Villians

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Have you ever, even somtimes, sympathised with those villians who are dramatised in movies and fiction, as kind hearted people with noble deeds? Something like, they rob banks but they also give plenty to the poor. Worse still, especially when it’s a love story with handsome characters, you go ahead and analyse their cases from a psychological point of view, mainly to make them victims not criminals.

Your analysis would suggest that, perhaps, it was the hard circumstances, the upbringing, ignorance, injustice, and sometimes even boredom, that forced them to follow the devil. Of course, that suggestion doesn’t entirely destroy the goodness inside villians.

And, in conclusion, you would also suggest that villians need a chance, an open door, or a relocation to shed their devilish skin. Then, with a new brand of skin, they would be able to listen to their nagging conscience and pump some light into their dark heart. Things might work this way, but it might not becuase there might be other scenarios.

What if they don’t have a nagging conscience? What if they block the light instead of letting it penetrate their dark hearts? What if repentance wasn’t in their dictionary and power and egotism are their main, sole creed?  What if the devil himself was just an apprentense in their handicraft? And finally, what if they want to always play the villian, the highly qualified egonist?

Would you still sympathise with them, and cry at the end of the story because they were hanged, prisoned, and didn’t have a second chance?

Why don’t you, while reading the story, consider that God surely hasn’t assigned villians to rob the rich to feed the poor?

Have you ever thought that, with all excuses, all masks, and all pretences, vilians can’t erase their malicious achievements from their resume without adding a pure, repentent heart to it? Of course that does not mean that a villian would straightaway turn into an angel, but they, probably, would turn straightaway into a human with a living heart.

Would you, as a reader, prefer a story that makes you weep for joy after the lost soul finally starts seeking light? Or would you just enjoy a story for its adventure regardless of the route it takes, just the journey for its own sake?


With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Just writing

Cinderella’ Dream

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Definitely, Cinderella didn’t dream of marrying the king or the prince. Perhaps, it was because she didn’t descend from the royal family. But, maybe, it was also because she wasn’t after money or fame. According to the story, all Cinderella wanted was a decent life full of kindness and love. But then, the package came with a handsome prince. Would any sensible girl refuse it? Of course, not.

On the other side, have you ever wondered that the prince had also his own dreams, his own wishs? He wasn’t after the pretty princess who lost a pair of her sparkly shoes as she ran away when the clock struck midnight. According to the story, he was also seeking kindness and love.

Isn’t this quote so true: “What you need you attract like a lover.” Better still,  God knows our hearts, what’s lying and hidden deeply there. He listens and makes plans in His perfect timing. That’s part and parcel of Faith, my faith.

Have you read The Rose Garden Husband by Margaret. I like its simplicity and normality. Good stories do not  always have to be complicated and thrilling, do they?

Here’s the link for my book review;

https://nh825.wordpress.com/2025/01/11/the-rose-garden-husband/

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Just writing

Please stop it!

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I don’t know whether it’s a new phenomenon or if it has always been there and I am just recently noticing it.

Have you ever been on a bus where all of a sudden one of the passengers decides to either answer or make a phone call ? They would talk as though they are at home, as if there is nobody else around, as if they have all the right to disturb others’ peace of mind. Still, that isn’t the main the problem The main issue is swearing, those F words slip off their tongues so easily, so nonchalantly.

You get off the bus, and inhale a deep, fresh, clean air, thanking the Lord that the ride was over. After walking a few steps, you find some children and teenagers, joking, laughing, and repeating that infamous swearing word.

Finally, you get into your house, and close your door, lean against it, and close your eyes. You try your best to forget about that phenomenon. You make a cup of tea, sit at your dinning table, and open your phone to check your email and scan your media accounts. And, there, the post you decide to read, is just another adaptation of a phenomenon that not only disturbs and annoys others, but also degrades the beauty and value of the work.

It’s just at that moment you realise that even if it’s non of your business to change others’ code of behaviour, at least you can try with just a piece of writing.

Please stop it!

With all the best wishes,

Nahla









Just writing

The Idiot

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“There are two kinds of idiots: those who don’t take actions because they have received a threat, and those who think they are taking actions because they have issued a threat.”

Have you ever come across this quote? Do you think it should be taught as a life skill lesson in school and universities?

But isn’t Life the greatest teacher of all?

We all learn this lesson in our lives, though, of course, at different levels.

We call others idiots, but if we take just a quick look at ourselves (not in the mirror but in our minds), we’ll find that we’ve been one at some point.

Have you read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier? If you have, you might share my opinion that It’s a story full of idiots,  though at some point you couldn’t help recollecting some memories that make you just as one.

By the way the above mentioned quote is not from Rebecca. I couldn’t remember the source right now. But, herewith my review and my favourite quote from the book:

/https://nh825.wordpress.com/2025/01/06/rebecca/

“… kindness, and sincerity, and – if I may say so – modesty are worth far more to a man, to a husband, than all the wit and beauty in the world.”

With all the best wishes,

Nahla