It has been a while since I last had time to post anything here (even though I am reading and more book reviews are coming up!). I was keeping a running page of random notes and quotes in my note-taking app and wanted to highlight a small compilation of unconnected things that made me emotional in no particular order:
***
I was walking in the Istanbul airport pained about selecting the right gifts for everyone – my parents, my grandparents, my partner, my daughter. And then I caught myself thinking what a privilege it was to have so many people to bring gifts to. That’s all I wanted to say.
***
I was looking at the videos and pictures of my daughter when being away in a trip. When you see a child every day, you rarely get that zoom-out perspective. But when you are away for a bit of time, you can see how much they change and grow and how they rely on your guidance in this world. What an opportunity and privilege to be a guide for another soul.
***
When we were in Istanbul, we took a good tour with a local guide and visited a restaurant to have a village breakfast. It was run by a family that comes from a village in the northeast of Turkey – a proud grandfather, his wife, daughter, son, and grandchildren. We stepped into the kitchen where they were making bread – the old ladies, so sweetly looking, working their magic, chatting, laughing, they warmly welcomed us. In that moment, everything froze for me just for a moment. Looking at their happy faces, I thought that this feeling, the beauty of connection and family and community is exactly what life is. The whole beauty of life that makes it worth living.
***
Okay, maybe there is also a theme of gratitude. Many small moments to catch and many things to be grateful for because you are alive.
Kat's Thoughts 