Catalyst One Hundred and Seven is: Honor a family member.
Thoughts:
My grandmother, Maya, was a magnificent human being. We lost her on February 16, 2010 (I wrote a long entry here.) and I will never ever forget her. I love you Omama.
Catalyst One Hundred and Six is: Where did you grow up?
Thoughts:
I’ve had the luxury of having an idyllic childhood experience. As a child, I spent my summers on this island called Burgaz. It’s in the middle of the Marmara Sea in Turkey. It’s tiny and can be walked in two hours. It has no cars, only horse carriages and some of the best memories I’ve ever had were created there. A truly wonderful place to grow up.
Catalyst One Hundred and Five is: Tell a random childhood memory
Thoughts:
My sister and I fought pretty much all the time as kids. One day, I got really mad at her and banged her door on my way out. Within seconds, I heard this really loud crashing sound and when I opened the door, I saw that her window had broken. Since we were both much more afraid of our mom finding out than anything else, we immediately forgot about our fight and collaborated on a solution. With the help of our dad, the window was replaced without a trace of what happened, before my mom came home.
Catalyst One Hundred and Four is: What advice do you have for other couples?
Thoughts:
I am a firm believer that if you want to be with some one and have a solid, growing relationship it’s best not to play any games. You need to be straightforward and be your true self. Only then can you see if this person is a good fit for you, for who you really are. I’ve always found games to be deceiving, childish and detrimental to the health of the relationship. So that’s my biggest advice: Be yourself.
Catalyst One Hundred and Three is: When did you first fall in love?
Thoughts:
I’ve had many crushes in my youth but my first love was Levent who was, at the time, also my best friend. We loved each other dearly and twenty-two years later he’s still one of my favorite people in the world.
Inspired by Rebecca, I created this heart out of French knots.
Catalyst One Hundred and Two is: What was the worst thing you ever did?
Thoughts:
I spent quite a lot of time thinking about this one. In the end, besides lying to a good friend years ago (which I already created a catalyst around), I couldn’t think of something big. I’ve done many many small but bad things in my life. I’m sure I’ve hurt people and lied and made them feel bad. But I can honestly say that none of it was maliciously done. I don’t ever try to hurt someone knowingly. I’ve been hurt a lot in my life so I work hard to be a good person and not hurt others.
Catalyst One Hundred and One is: What was your childhood like?
Thoughts:
While I had a wonderful family who loved me very much, I was always a shy and lonely kid. I remember feeling lonely and sad. I didn’t have a lot of friends who liked me. I didn’t like them much either but at the time all that seemed to matter was that they didn’t like me. I am guessing that’s why I turned to books. Books were my salvation. All these years later, they still are. Though now, I know that I am happy and know that even as a kid, I had many more happy memories than most people.
Catalyst One Hundred is: What’s the highlight of your week?
Thoughts:
My days are all pretty much the same and I love that. I look forward to so many things each day. Time with my family and time alone and time to read and time to create and even time to work. I am very lucky that I get a little bit of each of these every single day. I don’t think there’s anything more I can ask from life.
Catalyst Ninety-Nine is: What’s something you wish you knew about your parents?
The Journaling:
I wish I knew you when you were kids. I wish I knew your dreams. What did you want to be when you grew up? What hopes did you have for the future? Did you wonder how your life was going to turn out? Were you happy? How I wish I knew you when you were little. How I wish we could have been friends then. I love you.
Catalyst Ninety-Eight is: What does your future hold?.
Journaling Reads:
When I thought of this catalyst the word that kept coming back to me over and over again was bliss. I am not sure why. But when I think of my life, the overwhelming sensation is bliss and gratitude. So at this point, while I know nothing about my future, all I feel is that it holds more bliss. May that be true.
Catalyst Ninety-Seven is: When in life have you felt most alone?.
Journaling Reads:
While there are also many good memories from that time, The beginning of Freshman year of college was a really hard time for me. I remember a day when I received a package of CDs from my mom. I put on “Little Jeannie” by Elton John and so many memories of home came back that I sat and wept. It was hard to be so far away from home, learning so many new cultural things along with educational ones. I made it through beautifully but there were a few rough months there at first.
Catalyst Ninety-Six is: What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life?.
I’ve decided that, in the end, all that matters is your integrity. Do you always do what you say you will by when you say you will? I strive to. And I strive to surround myself with people who do. Too many people discount the value of one’s word. All you have is your word. Does yours mean anything?
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projects for twenty twenty-four
projects for twenty twenty-three
projects for twenty twenty-two
projects for twenty twenty-one
projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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