Little Miss Dutiful
The middle child adores her baby brother. She kisses him and holds his tiny hand while waiting to board. She’s a proud Kindergartener, offering to carry packages down the jetway … Continue reading
Super Süpürgeci
He’s sweeping while others are sleeping. I know the Turkish word “to sweep”–süpürüyor–so I am conjugating his every move, his plan for tomorrow, and yesterday’s business. I must admit it was … Continue reading
A Heartening Tip for Homebodies
Travel? One need only exist to travel. I go from day to day, as from station to station, in the train of my body or my destiny, leaning out over … Continue reading
You’re a Stray and That’s Okay
The woman proudly marches with a designer purse and sunglasses, but she also totes a plastic bag of cat food. She stops along the sidewalk to give a handful of … Continue reading
Traffic Dynamics
I like to imagine the shuttle bus from the airport to Taksim Square is a tour bus for my band. Of course, I’m in this band with about 40 people … Continue reading
To Be Human
The Good Neighbor looks beyond those external accidents, and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human, and therefore brothers. -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Strength to Love.
Places I’ve Gone on Account of a Book
I read a book one day and my whole life was changed…Where were the kindred spirits with whom I could talk? Where was the country in which I’d find the … Continue reading
Hoşçakal to Life as You Know It.
You’ve thrown away your chance for a normal life…This is what makes you such an exceptional person. -Orhan Pamuk. Snow.
The Company You Keep
It’s a good time for the lonely. Wear a Bluetooth headset at the market, and you may speak to yourself with impunity while hunting for just the right melon. Your … Continue reading
Benim Kızım and Other Cures for Airsickness
The general rustling of reading material charges through the airplane. Everyone shifts in their seat, digs through the belongings that should be stowed under the seat. The whole middle section … Continue reading
Watch Your Step
Thank you Lord that I spotted the three little old ladies in their long skirts and head scarves recoiling in horror at the prospect of riding an airport escalator. Made … Continue reading
Inspire Curiosity
Men who sell simits–a bagel-pretzel coated in toasted sesame seeds–are almost as ubiquitous in Istanbul as ankle-breakable holes in the sidewalk. Since I often took the same streets, I often … Continue reading
Perhaps Today is a Good Day To Begin (Again).
I know thousands of people who are waiting for their lives to slow down so they can become an artist. Your life is not going to slow down probably until … Continue reading
Grasping at Grandmas
I’d been on a mission: to get old Turkish ladies to like me. I love elderly people, but I wasn’t getting a warm reception when I beamed at the grandmas. … Continue reading
Postcard for Addyson #1
Dear Addy, The two postcards I sent from Turkey took about 6 weeks to reach you. So I thought I’d send an update that would show up in Colorado before … Continue reading
Manners
On the busy road, a taxi driver slows, inspiring a concerto of honking horns behind him. A red soccer ball rolls into traffic. I notice the children, the owners of … Continue reading
The Joy of Forgetting
This morning I took my notebook out for a date at the park. We had a delightful time. I ran a pen dry. While taking notes on what I’ve seen … Continue reading
En Sonunda/Finally
Friday in Istanbul and a surprise: The Reason I’m Learning Turkish took the day off so we could hang out. Yay! *Beam!* Still, I like that reading habit you’re rocking … Continue reading
I Pick Things Up And Put Them Down
At baggage claim in Istanbul, the men are standing with hands on their hips. They wait shoulder to shoulder, some standing sideways to get one arm slightly closer to the … Continue reading
The Nice Thing About Strangers 