Good Morning Ankara

Woke up to the warm tickle of a hot mountain breeze and the quiet of our Bilkent apartment. In just a few weeks, this space has become our home, offering the respite and comfort of our personal items ordered as we like them. But there is an undertow that pulls at me, urging me to accessorize and personalize this temporary space. I am resisting it; in part because our time here is limited and the expense hard to justify, and also because I am trying to wean myself from my compulsive fixation on stuff. There is a freedom in living this way. No plants to tend, nothing to dust, no worries about carpet stains or faded curtains that should be replaced. It opens up space for tending to my inner space. With more time to be, and less time fussing, time has expanded. My to-do list is short; a little laundry, light cooking, and a few administrative details to take care of. Minimal effort and little time is expanded on these. There is time to write, time to read, to exercise and to meditate. But, when I walk through these light-filled rooms, I can't help but imagine them re-decorated to my taste....and maybe I will buy at least one large ficus tree to share the sunlight with me as I drink my morning coffee!