Fish for frying!

I was thinking this morning (it happens!) about my blog. About writing something positive, something challenging, something that could inspire other people the way it inspires me.
And frankly the more I thought, the more I could find nothing remotely interesting and worthwhile writing about.. I had negative thoughts about the H1N1 virus, about difficult relationships towards mothers and friends. I thought that we live so shortly on earth, and yet seem to find it so hard just to be nice and good about living it.
I was nearly not paying attentions to the fact that I was walking in the streets of Beirut, while people were driving through from all directions, heading to schools, work and so on. Suddenly a loud voice coming from a very large man standing just few meters away awakened me from my day-dreaming/thinking walk. He was saying “Lokkos, Nammour, lal ale’k!”, which means “fish for frying!”. He was selling fish from the trunk of his 35 years old green Mercedes, and shouting out loud to the neighbors about his fish! I looked at him and he smiled and winked at me with his left eye!! I just laughed out loud!.. He was in such a good mood that all my dark thinking vanished and I headed home with a smile on my face, forgetting all about the fears and the worries! Simple as that.

The moral of this? Dark thoughts can vanish, if we let laughter and smiles in. Brooding over things that we cannot control is a waste of time and energy. Thinking and worrying about disease and troubled relationships is energy consuming and makes you vulnerable.

Where as a good laugh and a big hug can sometimes really be as effective as eating a huge box of chocolate and winning the million. You just feel Good afterwards!

That is all…
Have a Good day!

Less destructive & more protective

My own experience with saving the planet is a mixture of being aware of our destructive footprint, of wanting more green areas for my kids to breathe in, of turning off lights when leaving a room, of trying desperately to find a way to recycle batteries in Lebanon, and so on.

I truly want to be more “green”, more aware, less destructive, and more protective. But the paradox is everywhere, I drive a suv (my 6 year old asked me why we didn’t buy the same car as before, which was a wonderful orange Fiat Punto, to which I just blabbered that we needed a stronger car, with more space because in this country you really need it! )Duh… I throw a lot of packaging (i wish we could leave them behind at the supermarket). I use chlorine and fabric softner (a big NO NO in Europe). and so on...

So what is the moral of this little entry?

Taking care of the planet is a very difficult, tedious, long term project. We need to find micro solutions that normal people can understand, and put in action. We need to educate the new generation (in schools, home and via TV) slowly but on a regular basis. And we in Lebanon need to wake up and start working even if the mentality does not always support the idea and find it the least of their concern.

new direction for Absolut Leelou...

I started blogging in 2005, during the dramatic years of Lebanese instability. I was trying to make some sense out of the crazy times, by sharing my thought with friends and family living abroad, who did not have a first-hand experience with war and car bombs. My blog was an outlet for my fear and it helped me to write.
When the situation got a bit calmer, I realized that I wasn’t eager to write anymore.. my fuel was my anger and anxiety. I have since tried to make some entries about people and situations in Lebanon that either makes me laugh or wonder but have not been able to have a regular blog entry.
But the urge to write is still present. I love reading what other bloggers write especially in Lebanon. Their perspective is at times charming, hilarious and interesting. Writing is a learned skill. It needs practice. It is a voice to be heard, commented, and remembered. I enjoy writing. Looking at a white page makes me just want to take a pen and scribble.
So here I am again, with a mission. This time I am inspired by something positive, something challenging. I am no longer a “ a critique” watching the Lebanese from sarcastic angle, but someone who would like to inspire others to think in a positive and challenging way, to find opportunities where we could be proud of our actions.
Being a positive soul (some might say), I will be writing about Lebanese projects or persons that are special & inspiring, in any form or way...Also, since we are in the fashion of writing about environment and climate change (!), I will be including topics like Green products, green living and green design, hoping that they could somehow reach someone and inspire him or her to learn and to be proactive in the preservation of our precious nature.

So keep following “Absolut Leelou”, you might find something different and exciting to read…