This tradition comes from Lutheran Germany and can be found in many other European countries.

Traditional chocolate can be replaced by anything you think of, and I think it's a good idea to replace it with something that makes us think.

Advent is a time to stop and reflect, and yes, I know that most of you struggle with stress, shopping, and having too many family members in your household.

But words have power, and thus, I offer you a few powerful words for every day of this time of year.

Every Monday, An article will bring you a new load of inspiration.

16th December

I feel like no one ever told the truth to me

about growing up and what a trouble it would be.

Queen

17th December

Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically.

D. H. Lawrence

18th December

Should we live and let live? Forget of forgive?

Iron Maiden

19th December

Thou shall not is soon forgotten. Once upon a time lasts forever.

Phillip Pullman

20th December

Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.

Stephen King

21st December

People who sacrifice beauty for efficiency get what they deserve.

Tom Robbins

22nd December

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

Arthur Ashe

Have a nice Christmas time and see you next week.

Thanks for reading Barbora, the Freelance Writer from Prague! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This tradition comes from Lutheran Germany and can be found in many other European countries.

Traditional chocolate can be replaced by anything you think of, and I think it's a good idea to replace it with something that makes us think.

Advent is a time to stop and reflect, and yes, I know that most of you struggle with stress, shopping, and having too many family members in your household.

But words have power, and thus, I offer you a few powerful words for every day of this time of year.

Every Monday, An article will bring you a new load of inspiration.

9th December

No man knows how bad he is until he has tried hard to be good.

C. S. Lewis

10th December

When you have slept, you´ll be restored. The problems will bet he same, but you will be better able to face them.

Conn Iggulden

11th December

In the fairy tale, an incomprehensible happiness rests upon an incomprehensible condition.

G. K. Chesterton

12th December

At 18 our convictions are hills from which we look, at 45 they are caves in which we hide.

F. S. Fitzgerald

13th December

Expect poison from the standing water.

William Blake

14th December

You don´t know how it´s gonna be, Please, brother let it be. Life on the other hand won´t make you understand about the masterplan.

Oasis

15th December

Coming to terms with the past may be a contradiction in terms, because the past never gives up.

Adams Phillips

Have a nice Christmas time and see you next week.

Thanks for reading Barbora, the Freelance Writer from Prague! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This tradition comes from Lutheran Germany and can be found in many other European countries.

Traditional chocolate can be replaced by anything you think of, and I think it's a good idea to replace it with something that makes us think.

Advent is a time to stop and reflect, and yes, I know that most of you struggle with stress, shopping, and having too many family members in your household.

But words have power, and thus, I offer you a few powerful words for every day of this time of year.

Every Monday, An article will bring you a new load of inspiration.

1st December

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.

Mae West

2nd December

Actually, there are two kinds of people in this world: those who believe there are two kinds of people in this world and those who are smart enough to know better.

Tom Robbins

3rd December

What can you ever really know of other people´s souls – of their temptations, their struggles? One soul in the whole creation you do know: and it is the only one whose fate is placed in your hands.

C. S. Lewis

4th December

Some of life´s positive lessons are not learned in positive ways.

Steve Chaney

5th December

Intelligence happens when you stop being smart.

Thomas Moore

6th December

And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good.

John Steinbeck

7th December

Enjoy the little things, and for one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things.

Robert Bralut

8th December

Great men are rarely good men. Be an exception.

Cole Shafer

Have a great Christmas time and see you next week.

Thanks for reading Barbora, the Freelance Writer from Prague! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

He describes how all religions worldwide share common features and see it as proof that they are wrong. I see it as a hint that there might be right. Because I see it from another perspective. G. K. Chesterton said that a Christian is less fundamental than an atheist. As an atheist, you must believe that all the world´s religions are wrong; as a Christian, you can believe that, to some point, all of them are right.

Three Key Messages of Christianity

I don´t presume to know the inner lives of other people. Different religions must have some key messages that improve people´s lives. One thing is knowing what you stand for. Life is easier when you know your values and identity.

But as I considered Christianity from a rational perspective, I found three key messages that spoke to me most.

1. You Matter

As an atheist, you can gamble, doom-scroll, drink, and waste away your life.

Why not? Who cares.

It is up to you; you are responsible for your own doing and undoing.

As a Christian, you have to accept that you matter. You matter to God, and you were born for a reason. You have a place in his plan.

This is a great encouragement if you are ready to take this place.

But if you have no idea what to do with your life, if you have no intention of doing your best and being the best version of yourself, then this message is scary.

Knowing that you matter is binding. It makes you work harder and ask what you should do with your life. You have been given this life, health, and talents, and you are not allowed to waste them.

2. Humility

With God, you are the master of the universe, but without him, you are nothing.

But at the same time, every other person matters. Every other person is God´s image and can be the master of the universe.

You are a part of God´s puzzle, as is everybody else. That is a humbling thought.

It makes you reach for empathy more often. It helps you see the person behind the facade and phrases. It makes you think, wonder, and appreciate.

A Christian is humble or should be. Humility is a key to healthy social conversation.

3. It is not about you

You matter, but it is not about you. Contradiction, isn´t it? But Christianity is a religion of contradictions.

Knowing that it is not about you in the end is freeing. In life, work, and parenting, everywhere.

Your work matters, it matters to the people you do it for, and it matters in the long-term God´s plan. But it is not about you.

Which means that your mistakes, your past, and your being far from perfect do not matter. You can make mistakes as long as you try hard enough. You don´t have to be popular, they can even hate you as long as you help someone, just one person.

(This is a liberating concept for a blogger, is it not?)

You are doing good as long as you do what you were meant to do your best.

You don´t have to try harder, and you don´t have to be afraid of not being enough—because God is enough.

This thought not only liberates you but also makes you better.

As John Steinbeck said:

You can be good now that you don´t have to be perfect.

I have written an article on the toxicity of perfectionism. Striving for perfection is about us, about our ambition, but being good enough might not be.

There are other vital messages in Christianity. These three talk to me personally because they bring the answers I need. I don´t need personal or human suffering lessons, as I am not subject to that. Thank God, I lead a life free from suffering, although I have a long way to go.

I don´t have to make crushing moral choices or deal with politics.

Had I lived a different life, Christianity might have told me different key messages.

But these three are the ones for me.

They are contradicting, but that is just how it is.

You matter, but it is not about you. To comprehend this, humility comes into play. Humility means accepting the contradiction and accepting that you don´t have to understand everything.

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The story of the horse that spoke to the world

Black Beauty is an emotional story of one gelding's journey through life in the 19th century, from his peaceful and love-filled beginnings in the countryside to his hard work in the cities, where he faced harsh treatment. Beauty tells of his joy, pain, and longing for happiness. Each owner who buys him brings a new destiny into his life - from kind people to those who exploit and abuse him.

It is not a fairy tale. On the contrary, it depicts the harsh reality of that time when animals were seen as mere objects without feelings. However, that is exactly why the book struck a chord in the hearts of readers and became one of the most powerful appeals for change in human behavior towards animals. Black Beauty himself does not fare so badly in the end; on the contrary, he even gets a happy ending. But his best friend, Red, is so badly mistreated that she is eventually taken to the slaughterhouse. The scene in the film where we see a dead horse with its tongue lolling out on a cart in dirty London haunted my dreams as I was a child. So, what's the point of such an unnecessarily ugly book?

Anna Sewell: The Voice of the Horse in Literature

The author, Anna Sewell, wrote Black Beauty as her first and only book. In her last years, she was seriously ill and bedridden. She finished the work shortly before her death, leaving an indelible imprint on the history of literature and the fight for animal rights.

Sewell was not writing a story for children. She wanted her book to open the eyes of adults who seemed to be blind to the immense suffering of the animals around them.

The book was a huge success in its first edition. It was translated into many languages and became one of the best-selling books of all time within a few decades. But its impact went beyond the pages of books—it inspired reforms in the treatment of animals.

The book helped draw attention to the cruelty horses were subjected to, such as using the 'check rein' - a special harness that forced the horse to hold its head in a high, unnatural position. Thanks to Black Beauty, the public became more concerned about animal welfare, which led to gradual changes in laws and perceptions of animal rights.

Black Beauty today

Even after almost 150 years, the book is still relevant. It reminds us that we are responsible to those who depend on us and that kindness and respect can change the world. Although many today find it too harsh to be read by children, its message is essential. At least horses in elite sports are not entirely free from sometimes brutal treatment, and other farm animals are much worse off.

But I would wait five, maybe ten years before giving the book to children to read. Frankly, I don't want them to live through my trauma.

It can wait.

In the end, some children's books are better read by adults.

If you have not read Black Beauty, buy the book. Amazon sells it for a dollar; it is a book worth reading. It is a classic, after all.

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But he never did.

Occasionally, I got a message like:

“Please, prolong my screen time; we are playing games with the cousins.”

Or

“Some requests for installing apps are waiting for you. Please confirm it.”

Or even

“Grandma forgot the password for (something).”

And every time I asked:

“How are you? What are you doing? Are you having fun?”

I knew they were fine and were having fun. My mother, who was with them, was in daily contact with me, but I still wanted him to tell me.

I thought he was simply having so much fun that he did not have time and energy to write to his mother.

Maybe he does not want to spoil the fun by reminding himself that Mum is at home without him.

Only today did I realize what it was about. For him, the phone is a tool, nothing else.

This week, he is in the hospital with bronchitis. We visit him as often as possible, but he has to spend the night alone.

That is not a holiday where he would have fun.

He sure misses us, although he is fearless.

You would expect someone in this situation to be glued to the phone, constantly texting his parents and friends.

But he does not do that.

Because he knows what we adults have forgotten. That the phone is not a replacement for human contact.

Texting Mum will not break his solitude.

Texting Dad will not be fun.

He texts us to ask when we will come or what we should bring.

But not to say… hi… or whatever, we adults text each other when we are lonely.

I noticed this with my nephew and niece a while ago. They were sick on holiday and could not go skiing, and we wanted to help them feel less miserable.

Saying hi over the phone did not do that.

They would not even answer the phone.

But coming to visit was a completely different matter. Then you could see, in the shining eyes, a little happiness breaking through the cracks of misery.

It seems that kids somehow know that texting is a lame substitute for human contact.

When they get older and the cell phone culture hits them, they lock themselves up in their rooms to text their friends instead of meeting them.

Or meet with them only to sit on a bench and text other friends.

We have forgotten.

We read our friends' Facebook posts and feel like we know what´s going on, although in reality, we have no idea. We feel like we are caught up and do not have to call or meet to ask how they are doing.

We text each other daily and feel like we don´t have to meet.

We send instant messages filled with photos and videos, and then we have less to talk about when we actually meet. Why tell the holiday stories when they have already seen the photos?

We rob ourselves of our present moments when we share our moments both with strangers and our loved ones.

Consequently, we rob ourselves of the experience of engaging in human conversation and sharing our experiences in person with other human beings.

The kids are innocent in this.

They know what the phones are, a tool, a replacement, a substitute.

Until we spoil them and teach them that our phones are something more.

Once again, I am amazed at how inspiring our kids can be.

Let them teach us.

Cause we have a lot to learn.

Thank you for reading. Subscribe and join the crew.

Special thanks go to , , the inspiring writers from and and for making me think about our cell phone culture. Once these amazing writers woke this up in me, I began to see our distorted lifestyle manifested every day in all our activities.

Gripping Microhistories of Medieval Europe, Epidemics, and the Dark Origins of Medicine

Before modern science, survival was a long shot.

What if the most gripping stories in European history weren’t wars or kings—but the quiet, relentless struggle of ordinary people trying to stay alive?

History That Rattles tells the story of how Europeans lived, suffered, adapted, and survived from the Middle Ages to the dawn of modern medicine. It follows humanity at its most vulnerable, when climate turned hostile, disease spread without explanation, and the human body became a fragile experiment with no safety net.

When winters grew longer and harvests failed, fear shaped belief.
When illness struck, medicine often hurt as much as it healed.
When answers were missing, people filled the gaps with faith, tradition, and accusation—sometimes with devastating consequences.

This book explores the forces that decided who lived and who didn’t: climate, epidemics, early medical practices, economic pressure, and the ideas people clung to when survival depended on chance as much as knowledge. These stories don’t glorify the past or reduce it to horror—they reveal how people made sense of a world that offered no guarantees.

Written by historian Barbora Jirincová, History That Rattles combines solid research with vivid, human storytelling. It’s for readers who want history that is precise without being dry, and unsettling without being sensational.

After this book, medieval Europe won’t feel distant or abstract anymore—it will feel uncomfortably close.

Buy History That Rattles and cut deep into the history shaped not by victory, but by survival itself.

Buy the book

Read the sample

Ancient Slavic Origins

A comprehensive history of the Slavs from the earliest mythical beginnings to the 11th century, when the first foundations of states were formed.

You will meet Czechs, Poles, Croats, Serbs, Bulgarians, Russians (the ancestors of today's Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians), and the ancient ancestors of everyone in Great Moravia and the Samo´s Empire.

I have often woven the text with chroniclers' narratives as well as my own storytelling "fictional" passages..

👉Here is a link to buy the book:

Buy the book

And the book is lovely:

Your historian

Barbora

Some books let us relax and escape our stressful days.

And some books make us grow.

Today, I want to share my list of inspirational books I have read lately.

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This is definitely not the last booklist I share because no blog can ever replace a good book in the life of someone who wants to grow as a person or as a writer.

But now I want to hear from you.

What books would you recommend? Which book has inspired you lately?

Share the title in the comments, and let us inspire each other.