sayings – Pure and Simple

Do you know this saying?

“Out of sight, out of mind.”

In Egypt, people say: “Out of sight, out of heart.”

Which one do you prefer?

Well… it seems to me that both sayings are talking about different things.

The first one is so true.

If you can’t see something fully, you can’t remember it.

It just slips from your memory,

simply, because you have no interest in it.

The second one talks about emotions,

and about special people—

those close ones,

the ones you love, respect, and appreciate.

According to the Egyptian saying,

if those close ones are out of sight,

your feelings will change

and may become less or fade away.

But can this really happen?

What about children

when they grow up and leave the nest?

Will parents and children apply this saying

and let their existence slip out of the heart

just because they are out of sight?

Of course not.

Why doesn’t your pet, the one who died

or the one who flew away,

still have a place in your heart?

You still smile at their memory.

You still remember them.

What about the one who once treasured with sincere advice?

Or the one who showered you with the kindness you needed most?

That respected teacher who taught you morals before knowledge?

Wouldn’t they always be in your heart?

But of course, my interpretation of the Egyptian saying

cannot be applied to all people.

Some people may push you to drop them out of sight and out of heart,

completely and without regret.

You will offer thankful prayers with utter sincerity when they are out of sight.

As for your heart, it wouldn’t mind,

for those people would never have had a place there anyway.

So…

can we agree that the special will always be special,

and that those dear, happy memories,

will always be in sight and in heart.

And.. remember

the heart always has its own memory

regardless of sight,

regardless of distance

With in–sight-and- in –heart thoughts,

Nahla

I don’t really know if it is a saying or a quote, but I’m pretty sure I came across somewhere.

But don’t you agree?

Don’t you respect those who can say ‘yes’ or ‘no’? Those who can choose to go on, to pause, or to withdraw? Those who know that ‘better’doesn’t necessarily mean ‘perfect’? And those who believe that ‘to run for your life’ is the only excuse to exceed the limits.

And you know what? Even imagination knows its own limits because, in the end, it doesn’t deny the fact that everything it creates is imaginary.

Dreams are different because the more limitless they are, the more destructive and selfish they become. People say, ‘Look ahead and follow your dreams.’ And some follow the advice as if it were a holy command. They look only ahead and follow one route — either straight or by taking shortcuts. Like competitive drivers, they floor the gas pedal, exceed speed limits, ignore traffic lights, overtake any priorities, and make every space as their own free parking zone.

To know and respect your own limits is not a weakness, not a sacrifice, and certainly not a defeat. It’s something like making a peace deal with yourself, a quiet agreement, not to overburden, torture, or destroy what’s already carrying enough.

Everything in life seems to have its own limits. Privacy, for example, is supposed to be all about knowing and respecting limits. There’s also genius, this rare, precious quality, which often understands the significance of limits better than anyone else. But, unfortunately, in some case, its main aim is to only challenge and destroy them.

The beauty of all this is that we have different limits, and they change even throughout our lives. Everyone can create their own heroic saga. What matters is crafting it within your own limits. And, if you choose to exceed the limits, don’t scapegoate others, don’t envy them, and don’t torture your poor soul anymore.

Now doesn’t “Blessed are those who know their own limits” make perfect sense?

With hope and peace,

Nahla

Tag: sayings

Out of Sight

Blessed Are Those Who Know Their Own Limits