New discoveries

Discovering a new hobby or sport has a thrill that a lot of us often experience. It doesn't matter what age we are at when we stumble across this new awareness, but it certainly sweeps us with excitement and passion off of our feet and we embrace it with open hearts and minds. The older we get the more enticing it is to actually find that spark, and I have found myself a new one: Cycling. Throughout all my life I have been an active person; I seek adventure like a hunter looking for a prey to catch, eyes wide open to observe the surrounding and to seize that one worthy prize.

So what is it exactly about cycling that makes me jump up and down? An excellent workout or calorie burner maybe? Or getting to know a new community of fellow bicyclers. Is it doing a good deed towards environment by saving on car emissions, aka "Going Green"? Supporting a good cause to charity? All of these are very good reasons indeed but what sets me off is different: I just love challenges and love conquering them. Every route we cycle whether new or repeated has its own set of challenges; such as weather conditions, road elevation, distance, crazy drivers, harassment, etc… I kid you not, some of these reasons are worth quitting for; imagine cycling in a temperature of 35 C and it’s only 8 in the morning or avoid side-walking people who actually try to grab you by the arm while passing by!

Conversations

"What do spirits look like?" asked my son the other day. My answer was I don't know, I guess they'd be transparent or more like smoke. He insisted I should have a better idea, I should think hard and imagine how spirits could look like, to be able to define them. I panicked, quickly reached out to my friends on whatsapp for a quick consult (I always do that when I am stuck with these kind of questions). Thankfully one friend saved me and I was ready to challenge my son. "What does light look like?" I asked. He went silent, thought about it and said: "Light is light, you can't define that in shape or texture"... "Exactly" (sighing in relief).

This type of conversation often runs at my house and it never gets  any easier, the questions only escalate in their sophistication as he grows older. He no longer likes it when someone refers to him as kid, he is a boy now. He wants to know and understand everything that happens in front of his eyes, every news that flashes around the house or things he hears at school from older students. Questions like: "Why is the dollar rate rising vs our Egyptian currency?" or "Why the bulletin boards on the ring-road keep changing?" Try to explain those to a 9-year old in a simplified manner.

Can fears be conquered?

I have a fear of writing (no not to the extent of Graphophobia)! This is not a sudden realization, I kind of felt it for the past few months now.. I always postpone writing to do anything else, and by anything I mean I'd rather clean, do some gardening, clean some more or bake. I make at least 2 desert recipes per week not to mention I cook almost daily, hence I have plenty to share, but never seem to sit down and write.

I just couldn't pin point my problem with writing until I read "Can writing be taught?" by Monica on A Life of Spice.