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
“Anyone who requites faith and friendship as I did, will have to pay for it.”
The Professor’s House by Willa Cather.
I’ve already shared my review of this novel, and this quote has inspired me to write this post.
The reason behind this quote was the loss of a friend —not through death, but through disagreement and disappointment. One was an idealist, the other an opportunist. Though they made good company together, at the first conflict, their paths parted. It was the idealist who said these words, lamenting the loss of true friendship to uncompromising ideals.
Faith and friendship are such precious gifts— too precious to be returned, too fragile to be repaired.
One is blessed to have them strong, and to keep them safe and nourished.
How strong? How safe, how nourished?
The balance depends on how much you are committed.
Along this journey,
perfection and idealism are neither required nor recommended.
Materialism, modernism, and other -isms have no place here.
These precious gifts need a simple home with strong pillars.
Understanding and sincerity can be the main pillars.
But, if the pillars break, the building will collapse.
Then, regret follows,
and what a heavy, merciless creditor regret can be!
In brief, this is my interpretation of the quote, which I see as the bulb of the book. And perhaps you might think of it as… just a pat on the shoulder on the first of December.
With hope and peace,
Nahla
But of course there are!
Have you ever heard this sentence before?
Well, I have. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be writing this post right now.
Now, let’s think of common opposite words such as… tall and short. But, actually, the word tall has more opposites than just short.
There are, for example, little, small, petit, and others. Not to mention how you can make an opposite of tall through figures of speech by using, for example, dwarf.
Besides, tall is not only about height, for it can be used to describe a difficulty, for example, a tall task. In this case its opposite would be easy or simple. By the way, I hope my posts are not too tall.
Don’t think that this is a grammar lesson, because it’s not.
It’s just about the idea of flexibility and perhaps… possibilities.
If a word has many synonyms, why should you be stuck with one opposite when you have other choices that can express meaning in different contexts.
And this is simply another way to avoid embarrassment, monotony, or misunderstanding.
Hopefully, you’ve got my point.
If not… think of how the word opposite itself has more than two opposites and, ironically, synonym is its most popular opposite.
With hope and peace,
Nahla
What part of your routine do you always try to skip if you can?
A month or two ago, my son’s friend brought his cat home for a short visit while he was travelling abroad. Actually it was my suggestion. I was both excited and relieved as a few days won’t form a strong bond between you and your favourite pet—cats.
Cats seem to have an anticlockwise routine, right?
They sleep most of the day, and stay awake all the night.
Perhaps yours is different, but the ones I’ve had the honour to befriend have always followed that routine.
So, when the cat arrived safe and sound, she ran and disappeared behind the sofa.
Expected.
The place was new and so we were.
A few hours later, night fell, and she was still hiding.
I tried to give her food, but she didn’t eat.
I cradled her in my arms, but she leapt away and disappeared behind the same place.
I closed the door and left her in peace.
But there was no peace.
The big fun began—
noise echoed downstairs.
running,
sliding
and jumping.
‘That’s the cat,’ I told my daughter, couldn’t help laughing at her panicked face .
In the morning, we were the ones making the hustle and bustle, and the cat watched us with heavy lids, and half closed eyes.
But by afternoon, she was full of energy.
After stretching her four limbs, and letting out this wide, funny yawn, she jumped and stood onto the windowsill.
Like a hawk, she watched the birds, the flies, and perhaps other creatures we can’t see.
Her tail swayed, and eyes shone as if she was plotting how to catch them for dinner.
A bit later, she tiptoed around the house, exploring every room and corner.
Then she slipped back to her hiding place, curling into her catnap, until it was our turn to go to bed and leave her free to have all the fun she wanted.
Sometimes I wonder if cats can ever skip their catnap?
But I think that would hardly happen.
Honestly if there’s one thing I wish I could add to my routine, it would be the catnap, but then it would be the hardest thing to skip.
With hope and peace,
Nahla
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
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
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.
With hope and peace,
Nahla
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.
What do you think?
With hope and peace,
Nahla
… but dreams may come true.
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.
With hope and peace,
Nahla
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.
With hope and peace,
Nahla
Pure and Simple 