Life in the Fast Lane

Go-karting was once an activity that I would boast as my favorite diversion from work and life, and that I was the champion go-kart racer. Last time I went go-karting, in fact, my fiance Alex saw the competitive side of me, and witnessed me mercilessly running my little brother off the track and then get a warning from the staff. Yea, I'm pretty hardcore. What can I say, I just like to go fast.

Well, forget go-karting. That is child's play after my little rendez-vous in the mountains yesterday afternoon. I had an invite to take a day trip up to Faraya, the popular mountainous area near Beirut with quite a few ski resorts, to go snowmobiling. I usually don't like winter sports, simply because the cold really gets to me, but it was so worth it.

Alex, our friend Ahmad and his cousin Mustafa, and I all rented snowmobiles and took a one hour ride in a beautiful area of snow covered mountains. It took about a minute to figure out the strength of the machine, and how to make it run smoothly. But after that minute it was just one adrenaline rush after another. Of course, out of four people, it was the first time three of us had gone snowmobiling so we had to go with a guide and took a planned course, more or less. But just speeding over the bumpy snow and pushing the snowmobile to the max going up big inclines was enough to impress me. Getting a numb face and frosty toes was definitely worth time and the money. I am really looking forward to skiing and snowboarding, which Alex promises to teach me!

Although I have done so much in the short time that Alex and I have been traveling, between Lebanon, Syria, Europe, I realize that I have so much more to do. For the most part I am working and studying during the week, what I would be doing in America as well. Of course there are benefits to studying in Lebanon, most importantly what I learn about the culture and the language, and so I would never trade this time for anything. But there are so many things that I want to accomplish in my youth.

These things are ordinary as well as extraordinary. Like a lot of people with big dreams I want to have a great career, do something important and contribute to intellectual society, and I want to be risky and maybe skydive someday. But I want to accomplish simple things as well. It would be nice to be able to cook without constantly referring to a cookbook. To be able to dance a waltz, a tango and maybe a bit of modern dance. To sew some of my own work clothes, or concoct whatever bar drink my friends might want. I prefer to think of this ordinary feats as life skills - the things that one should be able to do with ease.

For a large part of my life thus far I have just wanted to excel in one thing. Society stresses talent, or The Talent. As long as I can do one thing really well it doesn't matter if I am inadequate in other areas. I never really found that in myself, and spent too many years being disappointed that I couldn't find that one thing. What I really want is to be able. If you ask me to do something I can do it with no problem, or I can learn whatever skills I need to to accomplish it. I have to host a party? No problem, I know how to cook, decorate and host. My boss wants me to type up a briefing for a meeting? Well I have experience in journalism, editing and different styles of writing, so I think I can handle it. My child needs a costume for his/her school play? Good thing I took sewing lessons when I was younger. You want to hear a nice tune on the piano? Well I dabbled a little, so let me entertain you.

Somehow going snowmobiling got me off on a tangent. I realized how much there was to do in life, which led to what was more important to accomplish and finally what kind of life I thought it was best to lead. There are going to be people who really excel at one thing, or multiple things, in life. Undoubtedly they should put all of their efforts into perfecting their skill. But the life that is filled with a balance of life skills can be just as rewarding, as I am learning everyday.