Just writing, Philosophical musings

Faith and Friendship and December 

“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

Just writing

There Are More Opposites Than Two

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

daily prompt, Just writing

Favourite People

Who are your current most favorite people?

When you think of favourite people, you are allowed to think of others in general, not only your special beloved ones. Right?

So…

You may think of The Wise, who once gave you a precious advice that still echoes in your mind.

You may think of The Kind, who comes over and knocks on your door just to ask about you, nothing else.

You may think of The Honest, who… is just honest.

You may think of The Hopeful, who always makes you believe in dreams.

You may think of The Brave, who once opened your eyes to life with all its risks.

You may think of The Cheerful, who would make you laugh even at a funeral.

You may think of The Humble, who teaches you the art of respect. 

You may think of The Innocent, whose smile would melt your heart.

And…

You may think of The Believer, who reminds you that Creation has a Creator, not just a Big Bang. 

With hope and peace,

Nahla