“You’d be an intermediate，” the clever， efficient Millennial at the Apple Store said brightly.2 She was talking about the free classes one could sign up for. An intermediate， I thought with pride. “I’ve used Macs since they had green text and floppy discs，” I said， eager to consolidate my position.3 “And I had a Mac Classic for years.”
　　She smiled at this impossible frame of reference， or maybe she was thinking， “If it’s been that long， why are you still an intermediate？” Why indeed？ Because that’s what I seem to be： a lifelong intermediate. I get through the beginning level of things fairly quickly， but then I plateau4 as an intermediate.
　　I’m an intermediate horseback rider， knitter， painter， gardener， yogi， linguist， cross-country skier， kayaker，5 cyclist， typist， and pianist （barely）. But there are degrees： I’m a better knitter than I am a painter， a better horseback rider than a kayaker.
　　Why does one remain an intermediate？ Sometimes it’s a matter of opportunity： Leaving New England was a blow to my cross-country skiing6. Painting stalled7 when I had a small child in a converted one-room schoolhouse. No longer living on the banks of a river held up kayaking. Horseback riding， too， requires opportunity， an opportunity I haven’t had since childhood， save for visits to a Western ranch where I was considered—intermediate.8
　　I know， however， that these are merely excuses. A friend I rode with as a child bought herself a retired police horse in her 40s. A dedicated kayaker would not have been deterred by the tangle of crowded highways lying between her and a number of rivers.9
　　Sometimes， it’s ability. I have taken up piano later in life. I love music， but I can see that I have no particular gift for it. Gardening was another late occupation. I wasn’t a natural at that， either. I got better， but my garden remains a patchwork of sudden enthusiasms.10
　　I confess I’m a little ashamed of being a perpetual intermediate. It seems to imply a lack of focus， an unwillingness to push oneself to go deeper or further. And being an intermediate at a lot of things smacks of dilettantism.11 Do I lack the stamina12 to become an expert？ Am I too easily distracted to put in the 10，000 hours reportedly required to achieve mastery？
　　Maybe I have to accept that， for now at least， intermediate is my sweet spot13. I’ve moved past the frustrations of beginnerhood without encountering the demands of expertise. “Intermediate”means that you’re good enough to enjoy what you’re doing. And it’s a roomy category.14 A beginner is a beginner and an expert is just that. 　　But an intermediate can be low， medium， or high. And wherever you are as an intermediate， you can always go forward， try harder， and learn more. I can go to those tutorials and get better with the Mac； I can practice harder at the piano and， maybe， in time， play a little Chopin.15
　　To me， “intermediate” is life’s default position. We are beginners who learn as we go along till we get to be—intermediate. Who of us can claim to be an expert parent， wife， husband， child， friend？ At best， we’re high intermediate with much to learn.
　　1. expertise： 專门知识，专业技能。
　　2. intermediate： 中级水平者；Millennial：千禧一代，一般指1982—2000年出生的一代人，他们差不多伴随着电脑/互联网的形成与发展一同成长。
　　3. “我从苹果电脑还在用命令操作和软盘的时候就开始用它了，”我说道，急于巩固自己的地位。green text：这里指Mac早期的界面，通过输入命令进行操作，命令行的字是绿色的；floppy disc： 软盘；consolidate：加强，巩固。
　　4. plateau： （在一段时间的发展之后）趋于平稳，进入停滞期。
　　5. knitter： 编织者；yogi： 瑜伽修行者；kayaker： 皮划艇爱好者，皮划艇手。
　　6. cross-country skiing： 越野滑雪。
　　7. stall： （活动）停止，中断。

　　8. 骑马也需要机会，这是我童年后不再有的机会，除非去西部牧场，在那里我曾被认为是个中级水平的骑手。save for： 除……之外；ranch： 大牧场。
　　9. 一个敬业的皮划艇手也不会因为在她与她要去的若干河流之间横亘着混乱而拥挤的公路就止步不前。tangle：混乱状态。
　　10. 虽然我的水平有所提高，但一直以来我总是在每次心血来潮时才打理一下我的花园。patchwork： 拼凑而成的东西。
　　11. smack of： 含有……意味，带有……迹象；dilettantism： 浅薄涉猎（对某个学科或活动感兴趣，但实际上并不认真或知之不多）。
　　12. stamina： 耐力，毅力。
　　13. sweet spot： （球拍、球棒上）最有效击球点，这里引申为最佳位置或状态。
　　14. 而且它是一个很宽泛的范畴。
　　15. tutorial： 导师辅导课；Chopin： 这里指肖邦的钢琴曲。肖邦（1810—1849），波兰作曲家和钢琴家。他的作品以波兰民间歌舞为基础，多以钢琴曲为主，被誉为“浪漫主义钢琴诗人”。