They say: some doors will open to you because of your prayers, some because of your kindness, and some because of your faithful heart.
And may I add, … and some doors open simply because of your resilience.
And you know what? These doors open wide with a genuine welcome. They spill light. They smell of flowers. And they are full of hope.
These doors can’t be mistaken for dark doors. For there are dark doors too, but they open only a crack. They are pitch-black. They smell of stagnant water. And, they are full of troubles.
But we always have a choice: which one to be, which path to tread, and which doors to knock on.
Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met?
So… can we think of the most famous as the most infamous and vice versa?
In other words, why can a celebrity be the most famous, while the teacher, for example, is the last, or perhaps nonexistent, in the list of the most famous?
Can we swap positions, so the celebrity goes down the list and the teacher goes up to be the most famous?
I hope your head isn’t spinning right now, or is it?
Mine actually is.
But don’t you get it?
Some people can be famous but without big celebrations, shiny gowns, best-selling books, or seven zeros in their bank account? They can be the most famous because of something simple yet special about them—something that shines without glitter, something that resounds without raucous noise, and something that attracts with respect.
Wouldn’t it be a good change to think of the famous and the infamous in this way?
You may discover that you are more famous in your own surroundings than those in the media or politics.
I couldn’t help laughing when this idea crossed my mind today. It brought back so many funny memories in my homeland.
But isn’t it one of the golden techniques for winning both customer’s satisfaction and their pocket?
It always feels more comfortable when the retailer lets the customer browse around, pick this, leave that, and go out and come back… or not.
But things don’t always go that way, do they?
Sometimes, retailers make you feel so ill at ease that you would think twice before stepping into that place again, or never at all.
So, instead of following the ”never rush the customer” rule, they rush you to choose, try, pay, and leave all in no time.
Honestly, this doesn’t happen often in the UK as it used to in Cairo. Things might have changed, though.
Years ago, most clothings and shoe stores in Cairo wouldn’t let a customer pass by without a warm greeting, a smile, and a hearty invitation to come inside and see more collections. Whether you were planning to buy something or not, the salesman or woman would give it a chance, trying to turn you into a good catch. They’d swear by God that they had the best qualities, the most reasonable prices, and that you would not leave without getting exactly what you had been dreaming of. The point is… you hadn’t been dreaming of anything except getting out of their reach.
This happens sometimes here in the UK. With a warm smile, they approach you and ask, “have you found what you were looking for?” Then, with another smile, they will suggest you to let them know if you need any help. That’s sometimes… because in most cases, you simply wander and browse around with no one following on your heels.
But you know what? Sometimes, you really do need this nice, active seller to help you at some point, especially when you can’t find the right size or length.
Wouldn’t you ask for help?
Well, I did.
But every now and then, I came across this person whose answer is as desperate as their looking.
”We only have what’s been displayed.” A cold answer, without checking, for I might be mistaken, and without even trying to check the stockroom. But, no way, they gave you a flat answer that would send you out with no promise of ever coming back.
If only that old days Egyptian seller had seen them, he would have grabbed you before you made it out the store. He would swear to God that he would turn the store upside down to find what you wanted or at least something similar. He would weave tales about their colleague’s family or health problems just to win your pardon and sympathy.
It’s funny to come across one seller who rushes you to buy and even spend more money, while another rushes you out with a silent “good riddance,” your money untouched.
And, it’s even funnier when you remember those mements with a smile.
Well… sometimes you just don’t know how or why people behave this way or that? And honestly, in this situation, it’s better not to make a big deal of it.
So, today my daughter and I took the bus home. It wasn’t busy, but it was so warm inside the bus. All the windows were locked, and most people seemed to have a bad cold.
Isn’t it normal to open the window where you sit?
I think it is, especially if you feel like sitting in a sauna.
So, I consulted my neighbour, who was my daughter, and she said, “yes please mama.”
I stood, stretched to reach it, and finally pulled it open. Sometimes you just wonder why they design the windows that high… but perhaps it’s for some safety reasons.
Anyway, how refreshing it was to feel the cool air above your head, and to smell the scent of the fresh rain instead of the thick, condensed air inside the bus.
Just a few minutes later, and as my daughter and I were talking, and out of nowhere, I heard a woman’s voice nearby, not asking or even suggesting that the window be closed but saying she was closing it. In a flash, she pushed it shut, and just like a ghost disappeared.
For a second, my daughter and I looked at each other, wondering why she closed the window. She wasn’t the one sitting next to it, and since the seats in front and behind us were empty, there was no way she would be affected by it.
As our journey wasn’t taking long, I didn’t make a fuss. I told my daughter, “Perhaps she was sensitive to the fresh, cold air.” We smiled, and continued our conversation, and soon got out into the real fresh air.
Should I have taken umbrage at such behaviour?
I think… I did better by ignoring her and her action completely.
How many times have you dreamed of things, impossible in your mind, yet one day they do come true?
Sometimes your dreams seem just like… the mountain summit; too hard to imagine, too far to climb, and too impossible to reach.
But then, one says, “I have a dream,” while another says, “these are just fussy, meaningless dreams.” The difference between them is that one truly begins climbing the mountain to achieve something, anything, while the other waits down there, laughing, still wondering what a silly, unfathomable dream might be!
For the climber, to reach the summit, to cheer from up there, to enjoy the panoramic view all around from the top, is worth every step, every ache, and every drop of sweat. From now on, there will be no turning back, only moving forward—for every dream can come true.
For the others watching from down there, they wander about with mocking laughter, a few steps, a little effort, and no sweat. Poor them, they can’t see what the climber sees, they will not learn what the climber learns, and they will never understand how dreams can come true.
By the way, don’t you agree that to have a dream doesn’t necessarily mean becoming a president, a royal, or even a scholar? To have a dream is to have a purpose with valuable meaning. In other words, a dream has to do with something that can guide rather than mislead. It is a disaster if selfishness and pride are the sole motivations behind one’s dreams; actually this can be worse than having no dreams at all.
Do you remember those old days dreams?
As children, we were often asked, “What do you want to be in the future?
Do you remember the boy who said, “I want to be an upright judge.”
And the other who said, “an honest lawyer.”
And that girl who wanted to be a kind teacher. And another who dreamed of becoming a merciful doctor.
These little noble dreams often came true, turning into something useful, generous, and prosperous.
Now, please do not to be pessimistic for even amid all the media madness and money mania, these little noble dreams still exist.
There will always be those who surprise us with true, prosperous dreams coming true.
Today is November the third, and finally I’ve found time to write. Honestly, so far, I have no idea how, or even what, this post will be about. Sometimes there are too many things to say, and other times none at all. It isn’t because you run out of ideas but because you just feel like… maybe later or after this or that. Or, perhaps it was the half-term break, and you wanted to enjoy it fully with family.
So, honestly the only thing that crossed my mind at the very moment was Napoleon. Of all the historical figures, he was the one who crossed my mind.
Strange, isn’t it?
I haven’t studied history in ages, and Napoleon, in my history schoolbooks, was an invader, who decided, out of the blue, to conquer the world through Egypt, to spread enlightenment and civilisation.
But which enlightenment, and which civilisation?
And who ever said there wasn’t any?
And who decided that what he offered was better than what existed?
I have no idea.
But his project didn’t last long, and as far as I remember, for only three years, and then the whole expedition ended in a big failure.
Does this remind you of something else?
Anyway, back to November with its dear winter. It has knocked heavily at the door, bringing the first hints of the season with strong gusts, heavy showers, and long, cold nights. Its company seems delighted to linger. This week, and the following week, are all grey and rainy and gusty. But that’s okay, we’re used to it, and we endure the visit with waterproof coats, warm homes, and delicious, hearty meals. Still, with a hopeful heart, I pray November and its dear guest have remembered to bring along some inspiring moments, not with more Napoleons, but with some… blue and white and sunshine thoughts.
So, please November, be an inspiration of hope and peace, a gift of happiness, and a promise that beautiful dreams may come true.
“If the fish comes out of water to tell you the crocodile is ill, believe it.”
I came across this sentence while I was scrolling through instagram.
Is it a puzzle? I wondered, and decided that the only way to find out was to see how writing might solve it.
But first: have you ever come across this one before?
I’m just curious about its origin.
So, let’s set the scene first.
An old wise man was walking along the riverbank just after dusk. (Now, don’t ask me why an old man. I really don’t know, it just came that way into my head. Besides it sounds better than “an old woman” in the context of a quiet, dark background. And don’t ask why wise. Actually … I can see your point. Not every old men behave wisely. But, at lease let’s make them wise in stories. Now not more interruption, please.)
Once upon a time, an old wise man was walking along the riverbank just after dusk, as the last reddish ray of the flaming sun sank deep behind the big, dark mountains. He was having his usual evening walk by the river. Whether it was cold or warm, rainy or dry, busy or quiet, he never missed this routine unless something serious held him back.
On every evening walk, the old man had a plan—a simple plan to make a kind deed.
Sometimes he gave a stray cat some food,
sometimes he picked up litter and dropped it in bins,
sometimes he helped a mother get her baby’s pram onto the bus,
sometimes he sat back on a bench and patted another old man on the back as he listened to his heartbreaking story,
and sometimes he tried other gestures of kindness.
Until the day he took his evening walk by the riverbank, when it was extra quiet. The only thing he glimpsed that evening was a faraway, shiny golden fish bouncing on the beach.
The fish was the size of a medium salmon. He glanced right and left, wondering whether anyone might run and catch her for their dinner, but there wasn’t a soul around.
He rushed towards the fish, not to make her his dinner, but to push her back into the water so she might live. When he was about a metre away, she made one great bounce into the air, and spoke in a human voice: “The crocodile is ill.” As she landed on the damp beach, a high tide crept forward and swallowed her back into the deep river.
The old wise man stared into the deep river under the dark sky, wondering whether he was dreaming. After a few long moments of silence, he turned and walked back towards the road.
“Even if it was all a hallucination… what does ‘the crocodile is ill’ mean?” He wondered, and sat on the nearest wooden bench.
“If the crocodile is ill, perhaps it means the world is finally safe. People can go out and about with no fear, no threats, no weapons. Perhaps, now they can swim into the river and get rid of it. Then, life will be safe, fishing will be abundant, and people will be free.
“Or… if the crocodile is ill, it may be a warning of danger, awful danger. The river is no longer pure, no longer clean, no longer suitable for life. Not because of the crocodile but because of the river itself. Its water may be polluted, and the land no longer fit for living.”
A moment later, a young man drew near him and gently whispered, “Aren’t we blessed to have this beautiful river…. Tomorrow we’re going fishing.”
Pure and Simple 