Istanbul: a whole new world, a whole new normal...

The plane ride we took was less than an hour, but when we landed it felt like we had landed in a whole new world.  Each and every one of my senses opened and strained forward, eager to take it all in. 

I was immersed in a place that was completely different from the “normal” I had been used to my whole life, different even from the semi-new “normal” I’ve gotten used to during these last couple months in Greece.  Here, in Istanbul, everything

looked,

 smelled,

   tasted,

  sounded,       

    felt

different.  Not a bad different by any means, just different. A new different…

Take a walk down the cobblestone street.  Notice the subtle pattern laid into the stone on the path before you.  Admire that the sidewalks are actually flat and walkable compared to the ones you’ve been navigating lately.  

Breathe it in and let it out, and let the aromas of sweets and meats not yet tasted waft through.  Feel the rumbly in your tumbly as another sense responds to the new normal greeting you.  

Seek out a restaurant that will help you satisfy this new sense, this new hunger.  Feel overwhelmed by the choices before you: another 5 restaurants or more down every side street, with tables decked out in intricate cloth, seats propped with cushy cushions, light streaming from colorful lanterns strung along the ceiling, hanging low to illuminate the feast set before tourists and locals, and enthusiastic waiters calling first in a language unfamiliar and then in English sung in an accent that falls different, that rings out and meets your ears with new inflections and intonations.  Pick this one, pick that, anywhere you pick is a good choice (until the next day when you pick one that serves up a sandwich which gives you your chance to taste liver for the first time J).  

Pull your sweatshirt jacket a little tighter against the chill of the air, lift your face to the sun that joins you in the fight against that chill.  

Look up at the rounded tops of the mosques that dot the landscape in a similar but altogether different way than the churches you’ve seen dotting the landscapes of other places you’ve been.  Hear the blair of what almost sounds at first like the cry of a tornado siren (only because that’s the only such whole-city call you’ve ever heard in your life before), but which is actually a call to prayer.  

See the mosaics and the intricacies of the ancient opulence within these buildings you visit, but feel the openness of the crowded middle and the absence of seats.  Photobomb the tourists taking selfies and try not to openly stare at those for whom this place is holy and not merely a check on the must-see tourist list.  

Look around and see the subtle changes in the style of the buildings and dress alike; breathe deep the new scents surrounding; taste savory and succulent and sweet dishes you can’t even pronounce; check yourself as your tongue trips over the ευχαριστώ that has become instinct but which doesn't carry meaning here and try to wrap your mouth around the newly-learned teşekkür ederim; hear the symphony of languages new and old rising and falling against the motifs of plodding footsteps, shop-owners and tour-guides hailing, and cars driving.  Feel that this place is different.

But look again.  Look past the clamor and hustle and bustle of tourists and tourist-catering gift-shops and eateries.  Look closer and see this country’s people going about their daily lives—living out their normal.  Think at first how this “normal” is so different from the “normal” you grew up with.  Think now that there are normals and cross sections of life being lived out all over the world; and the “normals” you’ve seen and experienced are only a teeny tiny fraction of what exists in the world. 

Look at your life.  Think about your daily worries, thoughts, highlights, activities.  Now multiply that by the people you know.  Now the people in your town.  Now the people in your county.  Now the people in your state. Now the people in your country.  Now the people in the world…

It’s almost too much to fathom, but just pause a moment and appreciate the life that is being lived—

—so much life!

Whether you walk down the street of your hometown or hop onto a plane that takes you half way around the world, open yourself to see, taste, smell, hear, feel the life around you.  Don’t get caught up in "normal".  And don’t close your senses to what is around you.  Breathe it in and let it out…

(Funny little afterthought: I just glanced up at the toolbar in this blogger editing browser and noticed that the name of the default font is "Normal".  I'll just leave that little tidbit here for now... :) )