God: you think you know happiness, let me show you what happiness looks like!
You say you have tasted love, let me show you what true love is!
And suddenly I knew why I am here
WHAT???? 120 tl for a flat white, you people cannot be half serious?
When you think of airport food, the image of healthy does not come to mind … yet the fit/ healthy virus has affected almost everywhere … even airports… except for, you guessed it, Istanbul’s international airport, deemed Airport of the Year 3 years in a row.
Let me tell ya, those awards mean zilch when you are starving and there is nothing in the whole airport less than a week’s old, tastes good, is healthy(ish), and does not require you to sell a kidney. I mean the generic protein bar that goes for 20 tl is 100 and a tiny packet of mixed nuts is 120 tl … no thanks I’ll wait.
My 85 tl Orta Americano, at IST airport, writing this very blog
I bid farewell to my favourite city with a blast, and by that I mean a really real chocolate adventure; all the fancy shmancy spots, and I absolutely loved every bit of it.
On “The day” I woke up – as I normally do - at 3:00 am, done with my spiritual practice (yeah I am trying to impress), a quick shower and I was out the door, the lady with all her glory behind my back!
Staring at the window– I was in a state of “nothingness” like someone’s woken up with amnesia. I was in the here and now, and now was … just this. It may sound dramatic, but it’s not, It’s actually interesting, I kinda had nothing, I planned absolutely nothing, I have not one iota of imagination/ expectation pretty much untied/ free even from my own wants and desires. Add to the mix my decision not to interfere with life, let it lead the way, let things unfold, and we are talking one layer of freedom over the other. Cool that!
So I can truthfully claim that the only things I possess today are what I have built in me; spiritually, physically, and mentally. So whatever happens, or comes my way, i have what I have and don’t have what I don’t have …. cool that too!
Just to prove my point :)
One thing though, I felt STRONG y’all … no no, you don’t understand, I am a very strong person, trust me, but this was different … I had this iron resolve (yet my heart was soft), a healthy indifference, a good deal of surrender, and a strange feeling of openness …. From this day onward, i am giving my heart permission to open up and let in.
My legs hurt, I am not used to sitting … kinda at all. A flight followed by 3 hours bus ride was tough. I kept changing positions yoga style on my seat, trying to doze off – yeah right – and when the bus stopped for a short rest – to smoke of course, what else – I looked for a Bakkal and bought myself a big bag of mixed nuts, stood in the middle of nowhere and crunched the bag into oblivion not waiting to catch my breath, needless to say, I looked, well … interesting!
So this really old Turkish man sat near me. Stooped, a trip in his step ..etc and I had this feeling he was eying me a lot, not in a sexual way but with great interest and curiosity.
Halfway, the bus boy came to collect the bus fare … me, a corny smile followed by some utterings in “broken English”, something that remains a mystery to me as it helps absolutely no one at all …. the old man steps in and saves the day, he translates – both ways – in perfect English, a native speaker.
A conversation ensues, and he was curious as hell. Dalli, is very nice and polite, albeit a little on edge. I understand he is very old, and old people in our time and age are completely INVISIBLE, and even when they are given some proper attention, it will be kinda charitable, as in trying to be nice to someone old, you know what I mean.
We no longer treat our elders as if they were national treasures – which they are – they are no longer human, normal people like us, they are just old and that defines their existence till death. We also talk to them as if they were kids, don’t say you don’t, because you do!
But I was actually interested, the guy is super awesome, he is Canadian/ Turkish, has a summer home in Datça (and a boat) where he comes 3 months every year, he camped everywhere in the US and Canada, he knows the hiking spots like the palm of his hands and he has a Ph.D. IN PHYSICS folks. When he mentioned the physics part he got a real honest wow from me and I bet some twinkly eyes. His reaction was priceless. Slowly, he let his guard down and started to speak and ask freely, he is awesome. To clear things up a lil, degrees mean nothing to me, but you gotta give it to the guy, it is physics people, one of the most interesting subjects in the whole wide world. And hear this, every morning he rides his “scooter” to the beach, swims, and then heads to Datça city center for breakfast.
I decided I wanna be friends with Dalli, I wanna visit him and drink coffee and listen to his stories. So I ask for his number, and I stated my real reason, I said: I would love to have coffee and listen to more of your stories. He delightedly gave it to me, smiled and said: of course, I can help you lot. It’ll take him some time to warm up to the fact that he is actually interesting to a younger woman and that age in human value is one of the best advantages ever.
I smile to myself: I am having my dream friend who is wise and loving just like the Hollywood movies
Hours later, on WhatsApp:
Lana: hello this is Lana
Man: WHAT? ….. Not interested
Lana: Sorry, we met at the bus today, I was not able to say a proper goodbye as I was caught up (as in forgetting my bag and walking away and everyone calling on to me in TURKISH to come get it) it was a pleasure to meet you.
Man: I don’t know you. You make a mistake …. wrong “suggestion”
Lana: Sorry, looks like I have the wrong number
Man: I am a married man, I am not interested
Lana (speech bubble): let’s pray you are not one of my new neighbors (ya know my WhatsApp photo)
Getting numbers wrong is like a hobby for me, I was not in the least surprised.
Your new wise friend you say????????????????????
I will look the old dude up ….
To be continued …