Tag: thoughts

Just writing

A Stranger on the Road

nhpureandsimple

What’s a moment when a stranger completely restored your faith in people?

Well… it’s becoming quite rare when a stranger offers some help on the road.

But of course, one should be careful; not every stranger offers help out of kindness.

So, one day, about two years ago, we got onto the train to make a short visit to our new place, the very place where we live now. 

We walked from the station to our B&B, hoping for a bit of rest and a good meal before going out to explore the city.

But less than an hour later, we left the B&B and booked another room in a hotel. 

Why?

Simply, because the first one was terrible.

Tired as we were, we decided to walk because the weather was one of the best spring days.

It wasn’t until a steep hill, a long steep one, stood waiting for us that I decided it was time to call a taxi. 

And what luck… non of us had a signal.

“Let’s have a little rest and walk again until we get a good signal,” my son suggested. 

But there were no benches around, not even bus stops.

Our one and only option was to keep walking.

But then, a yell and a cry rang behind us.

Our feet stopped, and our heads turned back towards the sound.

A lady stood beside a small parked car, waving at us.

She called out, “Can I help you?” 

We turned to one another and decided to cross the road to ask her for a taxi number. 

She was all smiles as we drew near.

After thanking her and briefly explaining our dilemma, she said she wished she had a bigger car to give us a life to the hotel. 

“Thank you, that’s so kind of you,’ I said and asked again if she knew a taxi number.

She did, and then, unexpectedly, she offered to drive me and my daughter to the hotel instead of waiting. “It’s on my way,” she said, smiling.

I was just about to accept the offer but then a dog started barking from inside the car. 

I looked from the dog to the lady, feeling full of embarrassment.

There was no way my daughter or I could sit next to her dog.

We might smile at a small one on the road, say how cute it looks, but getting any closer especially to a big one is impossible.

The lady smiled, fully aware of our hidden terror.

“I’ll wait with you until your taxi comes,” she said.

And then, in the blink of an eye, the taxi arrived.

We hugged, and I thanked her from my heart.

As I waved to her from the taxi window, I felt as if we had met before. 

For a moment, she reminded me of someone I couldn’t quite place.

“She looked like my friend’s mum,” my daughter said, and I nodded with a smile. 

Could you believe that a stranger on the road might be that kind?

Sometimes kindness appears out of nowhere, just to restore your faith in people.

With faith-in-people thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt

Was it a dream, or a good omen?

nhpureandsimple

If your future self could send you one sentence, what do you hope it would say?

I dozed off after a long, hot, busy day, until a cool breeze wafted towards me.

Before I opened my eyes, I heard a voice, my own voice, speaking to me.

‘Hey there, I’m your future self.’

I didn’t respond; ‘this is a dream,’ I whispered.

My voice gave a light laugh.

‘Listen they just told me to send you a message.’

‘Who told who?’ I asked, wondering why the cool breeze had disappeared. ‘Did anyone shut the window.’ I wondered.

‘WordPress told me, your future self, to send you a message.’

‘WordPress… it will be still there in the future?’

‘Yes, it will. And now just let me deliver the message before I forget it.’

‘Message from you, or from WordPress.’

‘Of course from me, your own future self.’

The cool breeze wafted back, and just before I dozed off again, my future self whispered into my ears and said:

“Write more. Write every day. Your writing will shine, day after day.”

When I woke up, my future voice was still echoing in my ears.

Perhaps it’s a nudge to write something today.

Or maybe it’s a good omen. 

With my-future-self thoughts,

Nahla

holidays

A Sound, a Lizard, and a Big Laugh

nhpureandsimple

Well… I wish they had taught us how to practically deal with insects and reptiles at school.

Science classes always give scientific information about different creatures, but they don’t teach students how to practically handle any of them in real life.

Schools focus mainly on scientific facts so students can be well informed and prepared for their exam grades. As for the practical part of how to deal with these creatures, schools leave that task for parents to handle at home.

Some parents were raised with good practical experience, enriched by old folk knowledge and techniques. 

Others think and behave exactly like school children, lacking any practical experience except the running-away strategy when they come face to face with those crawling creatures. 

So… one night on our recent holiday, and after a long day exploring different places, my daughter and I snuggled into bed and grabbed our iPads to scroll for a bit before sleeping. 

It was all quiet.

My eldest son had fallen into a deep sleep after finishing his running routine.

Why running in such steamy hot weather and on holiday too? I wanted so much to argue with him, but of course a man in his twenties wouldn’t listen. 

My middle son had already left for Thailand for a couple of days. “Well, Mama, it’s cheaper than flying from the UK.” 

Again a man in his twenties, once sets his mind on something, nothing will change it.

And my husband was out having dinner with one of his acquaintances.

That was why the night felt so still… until a strange hissing sound broke the quiet nearby.

I paused and looked around, wondering whether it was coming from the AC. 

Then it stopped.

I looked back down at my screen and started scrolling again.

A few moments later, I heard the same sound but louder.

This time my daughter heard it too, and we both turned to each other at the exact same moment.

‘Did you hear that?’ We asked together.

‘What could it be?’My daughter whispered.

‘Is it outside or inside?’We whispered to each other, then stood up on the bed, staring around the room in every direction.

Then I remembered I’m the mother here, and I have to find out.

I jumped down, grabbed a slipper, and tiptoed around the room.

I looked down every bed in our big room, under the chairs, and in the bathroom. 

Nothing.

So I climbed onto a chair and started hitting the curtains with my slipper weapon.

“It’s a lizard’s sound.” My daughter said, her eyes fixed on the screen she was holding tight.

That was what I had guessed too as the day before we saw a long one crawling out of the bushes in one of the parks. 

‘How do you know?’ I asked, still standing on the chair but no longer hitting the curtains. 

‘AI,’my daughter replied, ‘he said it’s probably lizard crawling on the outside walls.’

I sighed in relief, grateful for the AI’s generous help.

Then my husband came in.

‘What’s wrong?’ He asked and I climbed down from the chair while my daughter quietly sat back on the bed.

We told him the whole story.

‘Oh yes, they say it’s normal to see things around.’ 

‘Thank God the windows are always locked.’ I whispered. 

The following day, as we were waiting for the taxi to start a new adventure, I told my son the whole story and he couldn’t believe he had missed such an interesting episode. 

And just before getting onto the taxi, my daughter and I heard the same sound again.

We turned immediately towards the source, wondering how long the lizard would be this time.

But it wasn’t a lizard.

It was just one of the hotel porters pushing a big luggage trolley into the lift.

Me snd my daughter looked at each other and burst into laugher until tears flooded our faces.

With funny-moments thoughts,

Nahla

Daily thoughts

Reading Update

nhpureandsimple

I’ve just finished the second book on my reading list for this month. 

Such a big achievement after a few months of slow reading rhythm.

At the beginning of 2026, I lowered the number of books I hoped to read.

It feels better to meet the target than to miss it. 

So, for my reading challenge, I decided to keep my feet on the ground and my head in the clouds.

Soon, I will announce the good news of fulfilling my reading-challenge goal.

But of course, I will keep reading.

I’ve returned to fiction over the last two months.

Fiction is intriguing and interesting but that always depends on the book.

When you read a good book, you reach for more by the same author.

And if most of the books turn out to be so good, it becomes hard to turn to another author.

But then, at some point, you have to pause and tell yourself that it’s enough.

It’s time to discover a different world with a different author.

I’m already happily stuck with Lisa Wingate, and I don’t think I’ll turn away any time soon.

With reading-update thoughts,

Nahla

P.S.

Even cats love reading.

The photo is from the Cat Café in Malaysia.

daily prompt

Which Advice Is Best

nhpureandsimple

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Actually, I’ve learned so many good pieces of advice over the years.

Right now, I’m wondering which one might be the best.

Perhaps by the end of this post, I’ll make up my mind and nominate one as the best.

The first piece of advice that crossed my mind is not to eat a heavy meal at night. Some say it’s bad for digestion, and others say it brings awful nightmares. I appreciate this advice, but I’m not much of an eater anyway, and I rarely eat at night unless we’re on holiday, when your routine goes upside down.

The second piece is to make full use of permissions and not try to play the big hero. I learned this one by heart, and I’ve saved it in my mind ever since, always tied to its miserable memory. 

One day we were on our light back home from holiday. It happened to be during the holy Month of Ramadan. We are allowed to break our fast in some cases, and travelling is one of them. So my husband didn’t fast, but I did. Why? Because I thought it would be okay.  I don’t eat much anyway, and I rarely enjoy the flight food. But of course, it wasn’t okay. A terrible headache struck me, and when I tried to eat or even drink, I couldn’t. This is why I appreciate this piece of advice so much.

The third precious piece is to think positively, to see the cup as half full in any situation. But sometimes the mood loses its efficiency and sensibility, and suddenly the table turns on positivity.  Still this is one great piece of advice.

And then there’s this piece about kindness; do at least one good deed every day. This one is beautiful, and what makes it even more beautiful is its simplicity. Your deed doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive; it just needs to be genuine. I think this might be the best advice… but wait I’ve just remembered another one.

Stop following blindly, stop believing everything.

Isn’t this the best piece of all?

With best -advice thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt

Is There Anyone Who Doesn’t Worry?

nhpureandsimple

What’s something you used to worry about but don’t anymore?

Well… that reminds me of those old school years when I used to worry far too much about my grades.

Punishment, rewards, and competition were never the real reasons behind those childish worries.

A quiet, shy, dreamy child wouldn’t care much about such concepts, or would she?

But of course, somehow, they found a way to feed my worries. 

I used to worry about my grades because I was hardworking and independent in my learning.

My siblings and most of my friends took private lessons to improve their marks.

I didn’t have any… well except for French, but that was only because I didn’t like my French teacher at school.

So a child and later on a teenager, relying on her own self-learning strategy would naturally worry about her grades. Right.

And I never disappointed my parents, my teachers, or myself. 

Those old worries have now become good memories.

Years later, when I began my postgraduate studies, I didn’t worry  much about achieving perfect results.

Perhaps because a mother has far more important family duties in her heart than the pressure of flawless grades.

And when her sons are in their twenties and her daughter is fourteen, her worries naturally turn towards their choices and decisions, accompanied by a quiet prayer that God always guides them to the right path. 

Amen

With unworried thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt

Can It Be a Coincidence?

nhpureandsimple

What is your favorite quote?

I was scrolling through Insta for a while, then stopped when the notification for the limited time I had set popped onto the screen.

After that, I opened to my reading book; the story is actually interesting, and I am planning to finish it today.

So, just after highlighting a quote, another notification appeared, but, this time, it was WordPress daily prompts.

I paused…

The quote I highlighted is one of my favourites, and the daily prompt asks about my favourite quote.

Can it be a coincidence?

Really.

I didn’t just highlight the quote, I lingered around certain memories. And that was exactly when the prompt appeared, as if nudging me not to lose the moment, to write about it now.

And here’s the quote:

“Forgiveness given is forgiveness gained.”

And here I am, writing about forgiveness.

But first, how do you see forgiveness?

Is it a merit or a fault?

Is it a strength or a weakness?

Is it possible or impossible?

You think… and decide.

As for me, I see Forgiveness exactly as that quote above.

It’s a win, a fair, clean win after an atrocious fight against painful memories, unforgettable hurts, professional lies.

Forgiveness doesn’t come with a silver spoon.

Since there’s a fight, things take time, a really long time, unless you’re an angel, a one-hundred precent angel, who can grant forgiveness straightaway.

Forgiveness shows up in its perfect timing.

This is when you appreciate how blessed, how saved, how strong you are,

when you close your eyes and recollect your bad moments,

and when you whisper to the Creator, asking for His forgiveness.

Then you remember you too need to forgive others.

Once the action is done with pure intention, your life feels brighter, wider, and healthier.

But… just a little note to pin; 

you don’t have to include forget in the forgiveness deal.

Nor do you have to befriend or keep in touch with those who hurt you.

Which means things don’t have to end like a dead-end road, but rather like two separate roads. 

You forgive and start yours.

They feel relieved and take theirs. 

Now… was the quote and the daily prompt a coincidence?

Maybe.

But… can it be a heavenly whisper to extend goodness?

With forgiveness thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt

Hard Times

nhpureandsimple

What’s a chapter of your life you’d title “The Hard Years” — and what got you through it?

Life is life. 

Sometimes it feels like paradise, and other times it feels like hell.

Sometimes it goes easy and smooth, and other times it goes rough and spiky.

And… sometimes it’s full of promises, and other times it’s full of warnings.

Then you start wondering why life changes, why it is unstable, and why it is unpredictable.

But you know why, don’t you?

Because it’s temporary.

And if you’re thinking beyond the Big Bang, you will definitely believe that life is a big test.

So … hard times come and go.

They may last for days, months, or years.

And based on the unsteady nature of life, everyone is expected to have a share of those hard times.

How we handle those hard times depends mostly on who we are. 

Some people try not to think back, not to remember the pain, and to forgive the hurt. Others stay in the past, replay the pain, and never forgive the hurt. 

By the way, these some and others are not about angels and devils.

It’s more about… abilities and choices. 

Have you read my post Can Experience Alone Shape Us? If not, please do. Can Experience Alone Shape Us?

Now, is there really any need to talk about hard years?

Maybe.

But it’s better to leave them behind.

Just an advice.

With let-bygones-be-bygones thoughts,

Nahla

personal thoughts, Philosophical musings

Can Experience Alone Shape Us?

nhpureandsimple

Do you think we’re shaped more by our experiences or by who we are?

Are we shaped by experience or shaped by who we are?

This is not as easy as it looks. 

At first glance, I said: experience.

Life teaches us how to live through the many experiences we gain day after day.

And… the more experiences we have, the more we change along the way.

So yes, experience does shape us.

But wait a minute…

I re-read the whole thing again.

Doesn’t us or we came before experience?

Yes, it’s who we are that first exists and shapes us.

Experience follows.

Experience offers possibilities and changes.

Yet, who we are is the root of our life tree.

Or, better put, who we are is made of a special fabric woven from too many threads.

There are certain things that make us but can’t be changed; things like our souls, our origin, and our families. 

Yes, I know everything can be changed nowadays, including some of the things I just mentioned, but you can’t erase them from your “who you are” identity.

After each and every experiences you live through life, it’s “who you are” that manages it in the way “ who we are” wants. 

Is your head spinning right now?

Mine is, but only because of the AC, which I don’t like at all. But in some places, it is the most convenient way to survive on holiday in a tropical country. 

So, back to this life shaping player.

Simply, we are shaped by who we are.

Out of each and every experience, we’re the ones who decide whether to learn the lesson, to ignore it, or to destroy it.

Some experiences may push us to be cruel, savage, or selfish.

But in the end, it’s us who decide whether to follow the experience’s recommendations or not.

With who-shape-us-thoughts,

Nahla

holidays

Jet Lag, Humidity, and Writing

nhpureandsimple

A flight with almost fourteen hours and a three hours transit, is not easy at all.

If you’re accustomed to these long… really long flights, then you really deserve an award for endurance.

I think I deserve two, since this is my first holiday with such a long journey.

Perhaps I deserve three, since this flight also comes with a big time difference.

Three or two hours difference wouldn’t be such a big deal.

But… wait, 1,2,3,4,5,6, 7 hours make a significant difference.

Time suddenly feels as if it’s going in opposite directions.

In the morning, you drag yourself out of bed, your eyes so heavy that you fall asleep again everywhere, at any moment. 

At night, you feel wide awake, and surprisingly hungry and ready for outdoor activities.

Breakfast time becomes dinner time and dinner becomes breakfast.

The sun that plays tricks on you in the Uk is now punctual, serious, and happy.

How happy?

So happy that she’s laughing all the time, watching people out and about in sunglasses, hats, and face fans; all enjoying her majesty’s presence. 

Rain visits often but, lightly so far, as if trying to lighten the mood.

Unfortunately, the mood refuses to be lightened because of humidity.

And humidity is that heavy, sweaty, stick neighbour no one likes.

And finally, after those first confused, steamy, lazy days, a gentle nudge of writing arrived, with a smooth landing, to save these funny moments in this post.

With July-holidays-thoughts,

Nahla