Another
bomb. Another heart breaking news piece. Another pang of anxiety in the pit of
my stomach. Another sleepless night with my cat. In
situations like this, the only think I can do is to count my blessings.
So that
is what I did last night.
And while doing it, I started counting my Lebanese
blessings as well. These are the people who inspire me incredibly, the ones that
you seldom here about in the news.
The news
only portray the bad stuff... These days, it is important to focus on the good.
Therefore, I present to you my list of Lebanese blessing (in no particular order):
The folks
from Animals Lebanon. They work day in and
day out, rescuing abandoned, beaten and abused animals. They take them in, heal
them, love them, and find them homes, sometimes abroad. They do this with very
little money and pretty much zero government support. Just because they care.
The folks
at Souk El Tayeb. They bring together local
producers and consumers, and they also have this awesome restaurant called
Tawlet with the most amazing Lebanese food. They offer cooking classes, raise
awareness about the importance of eating local and give jobs to Syrian
refugees. My heart goes to them.
The young
people from Onomatopeia, a new music hub/music school/gig central that just opened in Ashrafieh. This
quirky place, filled with talent is an amazing space to go have a coffee and
listen to good music (and maybe play some). The owners are young people with a
huge heart and amazing vision who built the place from the concept to the
handmade furniture. They have created a unique and very needed musical haven in
this crazy city.
My people
from Toastmasters Lebanon. These
is a group of young professionals, from all confessional backgrounds, who come
together every week to practice public speaking, support each other, develop leadership
skills and have fun. I only wish people in Lebanon could be as accepting,
honest and open-minded as these young professionals. Every time you go to a
meeting, you feel energized and can't help smiling. And where you come from or
what you believe in is never an issue to be part of this group.
Mahmoud
the fruit vendor (no link unfortnatelly). He has the best customer service I have ever seen. He works 14-hour
days, every day of the week. And he is always smiling. Every time I come to see
him, he calls me a princess and gives me an extra lemon. There is no
coincidence that despite all the small convenience stores that open around the
block, people keep coming back to Mahmoud.
So this
is my Lebanon. The one I like to live in. The one I like to talk about. You can
call me a naïve or
a silly optimist, I don’t care.
I’d much rather focus my
attention on my Lebanese blessings.
