Tag: hope

daily prompt

Chaos, Chaotic, and Chaotically 

nhpureandsimple

Is a little chaos actually good for us?

Can you live your whole life measuring things with a pencil and a ruler?

But a life like that will be so stiff.

By the way, using a pen and a ruler is a common expression is Arabic, or you can say in Egypt. If you say someone lives by a pencil and a ruler, you mean they measure everything in life.

Actually… it can be a compliment.

But it can also be a defect.

The extreme opposite of this condition is chaos.

And if someone is known as chaotic, this means their life goes upside down, aimless, and messy.

There’s no way chaotic can be an advantage.

But a bit of chaos won’t hurt.

Actually, it can make some change, bring a laughter, or earn you some skills.

And what better example is there than baking?

My daughter insists on following the recipe from A to Z, including the exact measurements and using the scale which I bought mainly for decoration. 

Yet the kitchen under her supervision looks like bedlam. 

I usually, perhaps out of experience, take the shortcut.

No measurements, no scale, and always sticky hands.

Still, the kitchen under my supervision looks no better.

In both cases, we enjoy the chaos in the chaotic kitchen, even though we chaotically complain about the mess.

But without this chaos, we would be sacrificing baking for the sake of glassy, glossy Kitchen. 

With a bit of chaos thoughts,

Nahla

Just writing

Yes, definitely — it’s Light

nhpureandsimple

Well.. it’s rainy and windy here in my place.

Really, the weather has been so unsettling over the last week, 

and the week before,

and perhaps the week before the week before. 

Fine. 

It’s been like that for a while,

and this ’while’ might be days, 

or months,

or even years.

But today isn’t so grey as it used to be.

The sky is bright,

not too bright,

but bright enough to show some of its hidden light.

The kind of long awaited light you expect to see at the end of the tunnel,

for you don’t want to walk along a narrow tunnel all of your life, do you?

You sure want to get out,

to breathe the fresh air,

to feel the warmth of the sun,

and the gaze at that magnificent azure in the clear sky.

It’s Light, you scream.

Definitely light, your tears roll down your face.

Perhaps your prayers for 

hope,

peace,

and…

justice. 

are finally being answered. 

With light and bright thoughts,

Nahla

Just writing

As Young… As Old

nhpureandsimple

“Youth is not entirely a time of life.

It is a state of mind … 

you are as young as you hope, 

as old as you despair.”

Isn’t that a beautiful quote? 

Surprisingly it is by anonymous.

Does this make it less beautiful?

No.

Still, some people may reply: Hope is for the young and the old live by nothing but despair.

Sure, these ones’ level of desperation exceeds all limits.

Apparently, they only read “old” and “despair” from the entire quote.

They think “anonymous” means “nobody”, and therefore not trustworthy. 

But let’s focus on the sunny side.

Hope is the light that nourishes life, energy, dreams, and continuity.

Despair is the darkness that binds life, energy, and continuity.

Whether you are young or old,

it’s all about how you direct your state of mind:

towards hope or towards despair,

towards light or darkness.

And perhaps you can also direct your mind to

appreciate the advice,

even if it was given by someone anonymous.

Because anonymity makes the words belong to everyone.

With sunny thoughts,

 Nahla

Just writing

Start again

nhpureandsimple

How many times do you get disappointed about something?

How many times do you get confused, shocked, and sorry?

A lot, right? 

But isn’t that life? 

Sometimes you feel you’re too close to achieve your dream, 

Too close to touch it, 

Too close to hold it.

And then, at some point, you find yourself standing there,

 right in the middle of nowhere.

Shall I give up?

Shall I go on? 

Shall I follow this direction or that one? 

Was it ever meant for me?

It’s hard when you get caught in this trap of disappointments, especially when you’re trying your best,

trying to focus on the sunny side,

on the full half of the cup.

Then…

you realise your only opportunity is to start again.

Shall you take it?

Why not? 

Isn’t this life too? 

It tests our faith,

our patience,

and perhaps also…

our strength.

It seems to be yelling, 

“It’s time to start again.”

With positive thoughts,

 Nahla

Just writing

Is It Already the End of 2025?

nhpureandsimple

It feels like only yesterday that 2025 began.

But isn’t this life? 

Everything moves on.

Good and bad moments go on.

And here we are again, thinking about new resolutions for the new year.

Honestly, I can’t even remember the ones I planned last year. 

They seem to evaporate into thin air the moment I say them.

But… this doesn’t really matter.

I’ve achieved what I could achieve.

And I’ll always think of new ones.

Anyway… 

It’s wonderful to have plans, and even better to follow and achieve them. 

But… isn’t it a good idea to add some flexibility to this long list of goals?

A few possibilities,

And perhaps a few… changes

They say the straight line gives the shortest distance.

But we can never know what we will experience along the way, can we?

Unexpected things might happen.

And sometimes the unexpected is far better than the expected, for at least this unexpected is out of our control.

So… yes 2025 is almost done, but 2026 will be knocking on the door soon.

Bringing new dreams, new plans, and new surprises.

But, isn’t a new year just like a new day? 

Both pass in a blink of an eye.

And at the end of each, we usually look back and see how much we’ve achieved out of our list of plans?

But what about the things that never make it onto the list; those things we try our best to maintain and protect?

Things like our peace of mind, our sanity, our health, our safety, our resilience, … 

Or what about the things that we attain without buying, without forcing, without acting?

Things like love, respect, and loyalty. 

Aren’t these things far more precious than the goals we write down on our lists? 

By the end of any long day, some people have a good night sleep, while others can’t even close their eyes to sleep.

So… wouldn’t it be better to appreciate what can be lived, rather than what can be simply written on a list? 

With hope and peace,

Nahla

Just writing

Some doors…

nhpureandsimple

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.

With hope and peace,

Nahla

Just writing

Simple Recipe for Driving Life

nhpureandsimple

Release.

Accept.

Live.

And—

Don’t stare long into the mirror,

into the past,

into the dark.

or …

into your fear.

What is missed is missed.

Embrace the change.

And focus on the present.

The road ahead might have more surprises,

than what’s been left behind.

Long story short;

Steer your life as safely as you steer the wheel of your car.

With hope and peace,

Nahla

daily prompt, Just writing

Favourite People

nhpureandsimple

Who are your current most favorite people?

When you think of favourite people, you are allowed to think of others in general, not only your special beloved ones. Right?

So…

You may think of The Wise, who once gave you a precious advice that still echoes in your mind.

You may think of The Kind, who comes over and knocks on your door just to ask about you, nothing else.

You may think of The Honest, who… is just honest.

You may think of The Hopeful, who always makes you believe in dreams.

You may think of The Brave, who once opened your eyes to life with all its risks.

You may think of The Cheerful, who would make you laugh even at a funeral.

You may think of The Humble, who teaches you the art of respect. 

You may think of The Innocent, whose smile would melt your heart.

And…

You may think of The Believer, who reminds you that Creation has a Creator, not just a Big Bang. 

With hope and peace,

Nahla

Just writing

No WiFi, No Signal

nhpureandsimple

Isn’t she so cute?

I have no idea what drew her to climb almost to the top of the mountain.

There wasn’t another sheep around.

Yes, I looked around.

None.

Perhaps, the grass up there is more delicious, greener, or fresher.

Either way, she looks safe and happy.

But you know what? 

She reminds me of that old philosophical question:

Do humans live to eat, or eat to live? 

‘Of course we eat to live,’ we answer with a pompous air of superiority.

But… excuse me, may I ask: how many meals did you have today?

And don’t forget to count the drinks.

Oh, and the desserts.

And yes, yes, all the fruits and vegetables for maintaining that healthy lifestyle. 

But, honestly… haven’t it just crossed your mind to have this cute sheep for dinner?

Now tell me, do you… really eat to live or live to eat? 

And that’s not all.

With all due humbleness and respect, I would like to introduce a new twist on the old question:

Do we live to eat or to share photos of what we eat? 

Watch one recipe, and suddenly loads of similar and different dishes will pop up from all around the world.

Instead of leaving your mouth watering, they trap you in digital gluttony, stuffed with endless edited images, repeating clips, and untasted flavours. 

Why, this cute sheep would grow more horns if she watched all those endless posts of food recipes.

With no baaaa or maaaa, she would give the same look she gave me for the photo, and continue enjoying her one authentic recipe—the mountain grass.

As if to say, ‘I do survive with no wifi, no signal.’

With hope and peace,

Nahla

daily prompt

Can we turn things upside down?

nhpureandsimple

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. 

With hope and peace,

Nahla