Tag: Just writing

daily prompt

Life

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What gives you direction in life?

Every experience I live and each lesson I learn out of it, guides me toward a new direction in life.

We learn not only from our mistakes but also from those of others and that opens before us a new direction to follow in life. Our stories, whether short or long, with the people we know, e.g friends, colleagues, or even our family, also play a role in guiding us toward a direction that would add or change something in our life.

The Almighty doesn’t only give us life but He also puts on our path certain people, some unexpected changes, some blessings, some trials, or even some ideas or books that would make us live a different experience and follow a new direction.

Life, with its ups and downs, will draw before us too many directions, and we have our own reasons to decide whether to follow any.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

daily prompt

What is meant to be

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Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?

What is meant to be, will always find its way to you.

Honestly, I am not sure whether this is a quote, but I always keep it in mind.

I believe that what is written for me, will be for me and what isn’t written for me will never be for me. That’s part of my faith.  But, sometimes, I find it hard to accept things this way. Sometimes, I find patience so cruel and useless. But then, I start count my blessings, and pray for God’s compensation.

In Arabic it is common to hear people say that one can never take the Rizq (substances) that God has bestowed upon another. Yours are coming on time.

Indeed, your blessings will find you just in time.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

daily prompt

Regret

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Write about a time when you didn’t take action but wish you had. What would you do differently?

Do we regret the actions we couldn’t take or the ones we had taken? If you ask me, I will say we mostly regret the ones we did take.

A friend once told me that she regretted not having swimming lessons at a young age. Adding to its health benefits, she believed it is a lifetime skill. I totally agree, but I think things would have been no different if we wound time back. Simply, because swimming was neither a hobby nor a priority for the two of us.

Another said that her husband spent his life suing others at court until the day he died. Would his life be different if he had reconsidered his actions against his opponents? Would he have enjoyed some peace of mind, some happiness with his wife and his only son? Would he have wished to listen to the wise saying, ‘forgive your enemies, but remember their names?’ What do you think?

Words once spoken can never be taken back, and actions once taken can’t be erased from our life record. The harm, pain, and sufferings all caused by the wrong actions we did and the foolish words we uttered. Hence, don’t regret the opportunities you’ve missed but regret the worthless actions you have already committed.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

daily prompt

People and places

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What place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?

People say we love places because of their people and we also hate places for their people. In other words, heaven is heaven because of their deserving inhabitants and hell is hell because of their deserving inhabitants. However, people have different perceptions of heaven and hell, especially on this worldly life.

In most cases, it depends on you,  the whole you, your beliefs, your morals, and your way of thinking to decide whether to visit a certain place or to never do. You might say that a place of worship is the place you will never wish to visit, and I might say that a nightclub is the place that I would never want to set foot in. Each of us has our own background, reasons, and fears. Yet, we can still walk along the same street and exchange greetings when our faces meet.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

daily prompt

Look ahead

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Describe one positive change you have made in your life.

Throughout our life, change is both a must and a need. We have to change and we feel the change. A child has to grow into an adult though some can still have the innocence and transparency of a child’s spirit. We also need to embrace the change, whatever that change may be, e.g, our way of thinking, our clothing style, our daily routine, etc. C’est la vie.

Unfortunately, the changes we go through can be both positive and negative. Let’s put aside the negative changes for today and focus on the positive ones.

While walking with my children, when they were young, I used to tell them not to turn back. ‘You are supposed to watch for things before you because you are going ahead, and sometimes turning back result in harm and unneeded distraction.’ Over the years, I have been trying my best to adopt this strategy not only while walking but along my life journey . Never look back, never regret things that I couldn’t have or achieve. That’s one of the positive changes I have made in my life.

Look ahead and let bygones be bygones.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Just writing

A simple exercise

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What’s the most fun way to exercise?

It’s so funny when my birds open wide their little beaks, stretch their cute necks, and close their mouths. They repeat this exercise for five or more times. I’m pretty sure that they are yawning and that’s one of their daily exercise routine.

By the way, I read that some people practise yawning as a sort of exercise that helps relieve jaw tightness and other facial tense muscles . And, some people say yawning is also good for your heart in a way that can increase your oxygen intake which helps you become more alert.

The funniest thing about yawning is that it is contagious. Once a yawner starts a round of long yawns, the others surrounding them will follow suit. They call it social mirroring, but at least that can benefit your health.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

daily prompt

One book

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What book could you read over and over again?

When the book is intriguing, unexpected, and full of events, its reader can finish it in two nights maximum even though its pages might exceed four hundred pages. But, rereading it might be doubtful. The fun, the excitement, and curiosity would be all faded. So, why not try another of the same author instead? That’s what I do and I seldom reread a book even if it is one of my favourites.

However, there is only one book I will read over and over again, and that’s the Holy Quran. It’s part of our faith to never abandon our holy book. Once we finish it, we start reading it all over again with the same commitment, respect, and joy.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

daily prompt

Out of two

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If you could be a character from a book or film, who would you be? Why?

I am quite a reader, and it is not that I read everything, but I believe that books find their readers. Perhaps, as a reader, you are in need of  something;  be it company, a morale, an encouragement, a guidance, an advice, some fun, or anything else. I believe that the title, the front cover, the blurb, and the first page are what attract a reader to a book. And, that’s why I continue reading a book even though I find it boring later on and have to skip some parts and pages. But, I always find something new to learn.

Now, although I’ve come across too many fictional characters, there are mainly two I like and remember the most. Jane Eyre and Judy Abbot. If I have to choose one, it would be Jane Eyre. Why? Because, she learned to live, she was a good student and a good teacher, and she stood by her principles. She had neither bowed to humiliation nor yielded to temptation.

Isn’t it hard to feel like the odd one out, mainly because you care while others surrounding you do not, and they don’t understand why you care, either. But, these unique characters teach the readers that it’s the odd ones who are the  most remembered.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Just writing

Not our pet

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What animals make the best/worst pets?

The Arabs and people in the Mideterinian region in general like cats. They are such adorable creatures that make your heart melt as they rub themselves against your leg, or give you one of their begging meows.

One day, my family and I moved to a new house. The area was so beautiful but so quiet especially at night. Then, a few days later, and just before going to bed,  I heard meowing at the doorstep. My husband and my boys, who were still young at that time, went downstairs and opened the door. There, they found our cute night visitor; a tabby taking shelter under our small shelter. When I joined them, the cat was still meowing at the door. She had a collar, but apparently all she wanted was to get inside our house. I let her in and she straightaway started rubbing her wet fur against us. Later on, I discovered that it was the pet of my next door neighbour. So, she wasn’t a lost cat. From that day on, the cat became our popular and so welcomed guest. 

We had moved again, but  I still remember that cat and its name, and still have its photos.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Just writing

Money-free service

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What job would you do for free?

Years ago, one of my neighbours, a Muslim but not from an Arabic country, asked me to teach her daughter to read and write in arabic and wanted to pay for the lessons. I welcomed the idea but insisted on teaching the little girl for free. When she first asked me, the thought of earning money didn’t even cross my mind. But then, I was taken aback when she asked me how much I am going to charge her for the lesson.

There’s nothing wrong or embarrasing about charging others when you are doing them certain job and giving them some of your time. But, that, in most cases, depends on the person’s motivations and the workload of the job. Taking both into consideration,  I decided to make this job for free for certain reasons; First, I was already teaching my children Arabic at home which means I am used to the job and had the materials. Second, she was my neighbour, and do we charge our neighbours for doing them a favour? For me, that cannot be. Third, I wasn’t planning to make it a business. It was merely a sort of a small help I can offer to the little child.

I did that again, and I will do it more if need be. Although that was money- free service, I earned things more precious than money; a child’s smile, a pleasant mememory and my neighbour’s appreciation.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla