“Close the Door That Brings You the Wind, and You’ll Find Peace” (Palestinian–Jordanian dialect proverb) There was a young man named Muath. He had a kind heart and never liked saying no to anyone. He had a friend named Saif, and every time Saif called him, he somehow dragged him into trouble. One time he said, “Come on, let’s leave work an hour early. The manager won’t notice.” Another time, he convinced him to put off his work until the last minute. And another time, he asked Muath to use his name for something that had nothing to do with him. Every single time, Muath would say, “Alright… just this once.” But strangely enough, every time he went along with Saif, he ended up regretting it and getting into some kind of trouble. One day, Muath had an important assignment that had to be submitted before the deadline. Saif called him and said, “Come help me for just five minutes.” Muath went. Those five minutes turned into an hour. By the time he got back, it was too late to submit his work. His manager was upset and deducted money from his salary. Muath left work frustrated. His father saw him and asked, “What’s wrong, son?” Muath told him everything that had happened. His father advised him, saying, “Muath… close the door that lets the wind in, and you’ll find peace.” Then he added, “If this guy gets you into trouble every single time, and you already know that, why do you keep following him?” Muath fell silent. He realized that the problem wasn’t only his friend—it was himself, because every time, he chose to go along with him. From that day on, whenever Saif asked him to do something that would distract him from his responsibilities or get him into trouble, Muath politely declined. After a while, he noticed that his life became much calmer, and his problems at work almost disappeared. Meaning of the proverb “Close the door that brings you the wind, and you’ll find peace” is advice we give when a person, habit, or situation repeatedly brings someone stress, trouble, or headaches. The message is simple: once you know the source of your problems, distance yourself from it early, and you’ll spare yourself from repeating the same mistakes over and over again.