Tag: life

Just writing

If you’re not hungry, don’t eat

nhpureandsimple

Make sense. 

But now two simple questions rise and need urgent attention. 

First: What if you’re not hungry but craving something?

Second: What if you are hungry but you’re fasting?

Here comes the hardest challenge: to eat or not to eat.

And this is the most critical question.

But seriously, this is a drama over nothing.

Why do people make things complicated?

Food is not going anywhere.

It’s temptation that is trying to conquer determination.

But with faith, determination stands tall and strong against any temptation.

By the way, have you ever tried fasting?

It’s healthy.

It’s also part of faith. 

Ramadan Mubarak to all the bloggers observing and persevering through this holy month.

With faithful thoughts,

Nahla

Just writing

Practice Makes Perfect

nhpureandsimple

Really?

Doesn’t perfection have a bit of biased tone in the phrase?

Isn’t it just a figurative expression?

You have been practising writing for a while, maybe for years. Right?

Me too.

But this doesn’t mean the product is perfect.

I don’t think the works of those great, famous writers are perfect either, even with the support and help they receive.

So technically, practice is not about perfection, 

but improvement.

The more you practice, the more you improve… 

or the more you get used to and familiar with the thing.

When you’ve improved and become familiar with whatever you’re doing, you’re doing well, or maybe even very well.

If that’s what “Perfect” means that, then it makes sense.

Practising writing, for example, is great to improve your talent,

find your voice,

and probably make use of your own musings.

Practice makes none of these perfect,

but perhaps more interesting or more… creative.

And that’s what turns whatever you’re practising into an enjoyable routine, a task, or even a habit.

Practice builds consistency, improvement, and…

more importantly confidence.

So… keep practising, not for the sake of perfection, but to prove to yourself that you can do it.

That’s all.

With practical 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

Philosophical musings

If It Isn’t Broken…

nhpureandsimple

Don’t fix it.

Have you heard this saying before?

It can have different interpretations, though.

The most obvious choice is to keep going, to follow the crowd, repeat the same routine, and perhaps make the same mistakes, as long as things are not broken

But isn’t it a dangerous advice?

I heard its equivalent in Egypt. People say, “if it works, let it work.

Same meaning, right.

But what if it’s working badly or awkwardly or uselessly?

Yes, it’s working.

Yes, it’s usable.

And yes, it’s better than nothing.

But what’s wrong with fixing things that aren’t broken?

And first, do unbroken things really need any fixing?

Well… that depends on how you see things.

Fixing can mean replacing, discarding, or abandoning a thing or an idea or even a person.

But it can also mean rethinking, reshaping and reliving.

It can be an invitation to make some changes, some improvements to whatever we’re having or doing. 

Imagine you have an old china cup with a few scratches, crakes, and maybe a broken handle.

You use it every day.

You drink your hot tea from it.

You wash it.

You dry it.

And you put it back in the cupboard safe and sound.

You keep it this way until its time comes when it either bursts or slips from your hands and smashs against the floor.

Some will throw it away.

Some will try to fix it by gluing its pieces back together.

In either cases, it will no longer be used for drinking or washing.

It becomes either a souvenir or goes straight into the bin.

So why couldn’t it become a souvenir a long time ago?

Because it wasn’t broken.

And what’s wrong with fixing it while it was still usable with giving it new ideas, new benefits, or even new memories? 

Sometimes, we don’t just practise this easy-peasy strategy, but we believe in it. 

If it works, let it work.

If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

Until it’s too late. 

Until we finally realise that everything has its time…

And it’s much better to fix it before it breaks.

With fixing thoughts, 

Nahla

daily prompt, Just writing

The most important invention in life.

nhpureandsimple

I know this is technically about real big inventions like cars or home appliances.

But life is overflowing with important inventions. 

Really, if you pick one, you’ll find another more important.

When I search for something, I find dozens of versions of it.

They seem important, some very important, but later you realise they are not.

Haven’t you been living without them for a long time?

Of course you have.

This is why I thought of something else.

Something that only you can invent,

only you can use, 

and only you can keep.

Can it be my style? I wondered.

And, why not? I answered.

But, there are different kinds of styles.

Still, you are the only one who can merge them all.

Have you ever noticed how you, consciously or unconsciously, follow one style in everything you do?

By the way this isn’t a fact, just an observation.

How do you choose your clothes?

How do you design your house?

How do you eat and make food?

How and what do you write? 

And so much more…

All of these can blend together and invent your own style.

And it’s important, very important.

It can tell others more about you.

And perhaps… 

it can also explain why you cope with some but not with others.

With new quiet thoughts,

Nahla

P.S. this is my second response to today’s daily prompt.

I totally forgot about my first.

https://pure-and-simple.co.uk/2025/02/06/important-and-unimportant/

You can consider this post is an extension to my first response.

Just writing

February, Readings, and Me

nhpureandsimple

Is it already February? 

Yes, it’s the fourth of February.

This month is so impatient.

It’s generous with its sunny days, but stingy with its warmth.

So why am I talking about February?

Because my book-review website, which is already struggling, will apparently struggle even more.

I’m planing no addition to it this month.

It is not easy to review a nonfiction book in a personal, contemplative blog. 

I can do that for research and theoretical studies, but not for a blog that’s meant to protect my peace of mind blog.

So, back to Mr February.

Please slow down, have some mercy on my book-review blog.

The Japanese book is interesting, but it has three big parts which could, actually, count as three books, if only I had the time to read them.

And there’s another problem; I already have my reading plan for the month of Ramadan, which begins on the 17th of this month.

Oh, my poor Japanese book, I think I picked you at the wrong time.

But don’t worry, I’m determined to finish you one day.

And as for you, my book-review blog, have a quiet break.

All sorted out, Mr February.

With busy-month thoughts,

Nahla 

Just writing

Motivation

nhpureandsimple

M for moral.

O for open-minded.

T for try.

I for important.

V for value.

A for alternatives.

T for time.

I for ideas.

O for optimistic.

N for new.

If you ever get stuck in any situation ( writing included), try playing with its concept, its word, or its technique. 

It really works, but only if you want it to.

Now… the word “motivation” can sometimes and…. unfortunately have unpleasant connotations.

But anyway it all depends on your Motivation.

With optimistic and moral 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

Too many books

nhpureandsimple

At the beginning of this year, 2026, I suggested to myself without enforcement, argument, or stubbornness that I would read more nonfiction books.

So far, I’ve been doing well following my own suggestion.

I’ve a long list across various topics. 

It’s good for the brain to switch activities and also books, isn’t it? 

But I haven’t abandoned fiction completely. I read a few pages every day from a story in a different genre: Japanese fiction.

By the way, nonfiction isn’t that boring if you’re interested in the topic.

It may need more time and concentration.

But the good news is that you’re not obliged to read it from cover to cover.

Sometimes a nonfiction book is a collection of different essays, topics, or even categories.

You read the ones most related to your interest, and skip the others.

Well… that’s my strategy.

I reckon nonfiction authors expect this from readers. 

Some of them even mention in their introduction that you, as a reader, may skip the parts you’re not interested in.

So far reading nonfiction sounds good.

But just a tiny problem to consider:

there’s no room for imagination in nonfiction.

And that’s why I always keep a fiction book at hand.

Nonfiction can teach us science, literature, philosophy, history … 

but fiction can teach us all of that in one imaginative story. 

It’s in nonfictions that we learn about history, and in fiction that we see it.

By the way, do you think villains read history?

Perhaps they don’t, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many of them.

With reading thoughts,

Nahla

Just writing

Why I Can’t Write

nhpureandsimple

Because I don’t have ideas.

That’s probably the first logical answer.

Or perhaps because I don’t have time.

That also makes sense.

Or…

You may say it’s because I have so many ideas, but can use none.

Have you ever struggled with this last problem?

I have.

Over the last few days, whenever I decided to write down something, another idea would pop into my head and start fighting with the first.

Before I could put an end to the fight, a third idea came from here and there and interfered.

As I was wondering whether this interference made any sense, a fourth idea pushed its way into the crowd.

I gave up and returned to my book.

Sometimes you have so many ideas that you end up writing nothing.

But sometimes… this very chaos is exactly what we need to write about.

By the way, this applies to life too.

When everything feels chaotic, a mess, and out of control, 

that’s the very moment when solutions, changes, and opportunities begin to appear.

The birds sing after the storm.

People come out and walk, steady and free.

And writers watch all of that and think,

That’s the time to write.

For sure.

With chaotic and quiet thoughts, 

Nahla