Lady Breeze

Brussels, Belgium, Center, 10 March 2019 When everything stops for a second. You stand still. You wonder what brought you here? Was it the right choice? When you thought finally things are about to settle, when things seemed to be matching perfectly, but then in blink of seconds your entire life changes rapidly unexpectedly. Fear and anxiety of the unknown is all what keeps hunting your thoughts. You wonder in the eyes of strangers, aiming to find a clear answer. Yet you believe in God’s timing. You believe in how things work when it’s time. No matter how bad we want it to happen. It will happen in the perfect timing. You only see meters in front of you while God… God always see the end of the road. Have faith!

There is this thought that keeps hunting me every now and then that makes me feel bad about myself... When you meet someone, never build assumptions, never prejudices, never predict, never assume, never build an idea, nor conclusion on that person only through your first impression. People are so diverse and we all function differently. It could take someone an hour to show you who they truly are and another a life time to reveal part of themselves. I personally have been put in situations, where I’ve learned that I was completely wrong about people that I've met, and that there’s so much more one could learn and disclose only if the other person decided to reveal themselves.  Always keep the door open, because you never know what you may discover behind it, even if it might take you years. And excuse those who are not yet ready to divulge themselves. They might need a little more time to open up,.. maybe the key is already in your hands or the words lie between your magical ...

So what is Identity? Who am I? What skin color I have? What believe do I follow? Does it matter where I was born? Does it matter where I live? Where I used to live? Does it matter where I come from? Does it matter, which ethnic group I come from? Does it matter if I wear the Hijab or not? Would you care to know where my roots come from? Do we actually know it? Do we actually have hold on our grade grand parents? Would you think of me differently if I was white? If I was Black? If I was a mix? If I was blond? If I had green, blue eyes? Does it really matter to you? Why would you care? I’m an Arab, North African and Mediterranean. In love with the ideology of world religions. I’m a muslim but grew up entirely in a Catholic school. In my heart lays Austria as number one and in my vines runs Egyptian blood. To these two beloved countries, I’ll always be truthfully forever thankful. But yet in search to where I belong to, while others might judge me from only my skin color or my relig...

Life is a beautiful journey. Never lose site of the beauty within and that which surrounds us on all sides. Most profound soundtrack that still impacts me in a very specific way to this very day. Love, Peace, and Wisdom. You don't always have to make the perfect choice sometimes it helps to choose a path and be willing to bend as the path wonders. Eyes wide open and soul more open than eyes. 

As 2016 comes to a close, it is a perfect time to give back to the community and show your appreciation for those who have helped you throughout the past year.

“Don’t only practice your art,  but force your way into its secrets,  for it and knowledge can  raise men to the divine.” - Ludwig van Beethoven

I have been doing some reflections lately in my life and I came across many things that I've discovered and would like to share some of them with you.  We get stuck in labels . She is strong. He is funny. She is positive. You get my point. These labels manifest in our heads and we start believing that this is what you always need to project, this is how people see me and this is how I should always be. But this is not true. I am the strongest girl I know this month and the weakest one around the next. I have the cool sense of humor and the next day I can not get a joke.  We need to stop getting stuck in boxes. This causes us to put so much pressure on ourselves and it is unhealthy. Be whoever the hell you wake up wanting to be. No pressure. No label. Find a fixation . Find something that you can do, a car ride, a place you can sit, writing, drawing, dancing, yoga, singing in the shower. Find something that you can go to when everything else doesn't make sense (this h...

Life is all about stages and steps that we take in our life. For each stage there are hundreds of other steps and mountains that has to be taken, hiked, claimed or even walked now or later. For every mountain there is a test that we have to pass in order to reach to the edge of the mountain and have a clearer view and a full picture. We are all different and that's why, some of us take these steps slower because simply they can't hike the mountain all at once. Some need to take a break in between, in order to recharge energy again. And some can take it all at one shot. But at the end of the day, we all aim for the same purpose in a way or another. 

For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

I think it's great how a lot of young people, in my generation, are not scared of being alone anymore. I used to dread the idea of traveling alone. I would look at people eating by themselves in restaurants and feel bad for them. As I grew older, I realized that treating yourself to a nice meal alone doesn't necessarily mean you're lonely. Packing your bags and moving to a new place doesn't mean you don't like being around people. We grew up in a society that taught us that socializing is what gives us purpose and that the more people you know, the happier you will be. I realized, however, that in order to be at peace with yourself, you must learn to enjoy your own company. When you no longer feel the need to always be among a large group of people and to fake interactions just to fit in, that is when you will truly be happy.

”ليس هناك شىء يسمى الحرية، و أكثرنا حرية هو عبد للمبادىء التى يؤمن بها، وللغرض الذى يسعى إليه.. اننا نطالب بالحرية لنضعها فى خدمة أغراضنا.. وقبل أن تطالب بحريتك إسئل نفسك: لأى غرض ستهبه؟!“ ― إحسان عبد القدوس

Muhammad Ali’s story meant a lot for me - beyond the boxing he spent a lifetime preparing to meet God, and was dedicated to a path of Tassawuf, to the inward path of Love. He believed that the secret of God is revealed through the knowledge of Love. Ali strived to become a truly beautiful human being; following the Tassawuf wisdom that ‘The outer beauty of a person must merge with the inner beaut y and become one. This is the source of true beauty.’ He was most certainly such a human being, and was once asked: “What would you like people to think about you when you’re gone?”. He responded that he would like people to say: ‘He took a few cups of love. He took one table spoon of patience. One table spoon, tea-spoon of generosity. One pint of kindness. He took one quart of laughter. One pinch of concern. And then he mixed willingness with happiness. He added lots of faith. And he stirred it up well. Then he spread it over a span of a lifetime. And he served it to each and every deservi...

A year ago everything was different. I wouldn't have pictured myself like this and now that I look back, I have realized that a year can do a lot to a person.  So, in the end it is not the years in your life that count, it is the life in your years that count in order to have a life worth living. It is the pursuit of a memorable life!

I need to live out all the blessings that God has given me today. Blessings cannot be saved for a rainy day. There is no bank with a safe deposit box for them. If I do not enjoy these blessings today, I lose them forever. Whatever I have done or might do in the course of my life, whether it's good or evil, has been done freely; I am a free agent. My success and my misfortunes, the bright and the dark days I have gone through, everything has proved to me that in this world, either physical or moral, good comes out of evil just as well as evil comes out of good. God knows that we are artists of life. One day He gives us a chisel, another we may receive brushes and a canvas, and still another day He gives us a pen to write. I am bound to add that the excess in too little has ever proved in me more dangerous than the excess in too much; the last may cause indigestion, but the first causes death. I know that I have lived because I have felt, and, feeling giving me the know...

Making friends while traveling takes whatever standards you already had in terms of forming friendships at home and dilutes it down to basically nothing. You no longer look for things you have in common, friends you have in common or even places you have in common. It's more like hey you seem like a decent enough human who won't try to rape me or mug me so I will make the unusual-for me-decision and trust you for the day and see how it goes. We may not be united by land, race, religion, language or even thoughts. We may have nothing in common except for the fact that we are perfect strangers in a foreign place; we are united by our endless love for travel and deep need to explore. We are citizens of the world and that is why I will trust you. The thing about travel is when you're finally ready to come home, you will realise that the only thing that has truly changed is you.

As random as it can get.. She had the most random thing that can happen to her since a long time and she can't grasp the idea how it even could happen. It's not her usual attitude towards life... On one of those normal days, it's almost noon, just few hours before the weekend to finally start. That one young lady had a very long busy week and it's almost coming to an end. Yet there are still some errands that still need to be done. It's a sunny and warm day. The Skye is purely clear blue and the metro is less crowded just few hours before the rush hour.  She wanted to make this mission during early April and some reasons she forgot and life hectic took over. She is about to miss the deadline.  But she seems she didn't care much. However the nearer we get to the day of the deadline she freaks out, it might be her only last chance so thought she, neither can’t she figure out what can be done next if that plan didn’t verve as it’s planed. She is running la...

“This is the thing: When you hit 28 or 30, everything begins to divide. You can see very clearly two kinds of people. On one side, people who have used their 20s to learn and grow, to find… themselves and their dreams, people who know what works and what doesn’t, who have pushed through to become real live adults. Then there’s the other kind, who are hanging onto college, or high school even, with all their might. They’ve stayed in jobs they hate, because they’re too scared to get another one. They’ve stayed with men or women who are good but not great, because they don’t want to be lonely… they mean to develop intimate friendships, they mean to stop drinking like life is one big frat party. But they don’t do those things, so they live in an extended adolescence, no closer to adulthood than when they graduated. Don’t be like that. Don’t get stuck. Move, travel, take a class, take a risk. There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. ...

Why should we be always another copy version of another human being? Is it because the book is saying so? According to which book are we following? Traditions? Prescriptions? Perspectives? Culture? Society? Habits? Or what the people would say? Are we supposed to pursue things that were mentioned in the 16 th , 17 th or even the 20 th century, because this is how our great great grandparents were brought up on to or use to do it in that specific way? Why do I have to follow things blindly? If this is how the world is all about, then I’m definitely in the wrong universe and should certainly rest my case. I’m neither against traditions nor against our grandparent’s perspectives… But we are today in the 21 st century… things have changed; Technology and Science have developed a lot and quickly... even art is changing daily. If you happen to be a believer; God gave us a mind to think with, to create, innovate, to be creative, to discover sc...

"We can’t get too close. If we felt even a little of the love and the joy and the hopes that our patients are saying goodbye to, we'd never be able to function. Some lit bit of support, some bit of peace, some bit of closure. Something good, some little peace of beauty in the midst of some place dark. An unexpected gift just when it’s needed most."  Greys Anatomy - Life Lesson

After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul and you learn that love doesn't mean leaning and company doesn't always mean security. And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't promises and you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes ahead with the grace of woman, not the grief of a child and you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight. After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much so you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. And you learn that you really can endure you really are strong you really do have worth and you learn and you learn with every goodbye, you learn...   Veronica A. Shoffstall