-One month into our stay
I was contemplating how to breathe life into my thoughts and our everyday moments. I dream of gathering the intricate mosaic of our life stories from the past 5 years and transforming them into a tangible book.
Yesterday (while on my yoga mat—where so many revelations find me), I decided to document our travels and slow-living experiences from this year, capturing these moments before we embark on another year filled with diverse adventures.
We've called Fethiye, Turkey home for nearly a month now. Paradoxically, it feels both fleeting and eternal. While there's no dramatic adventure to recount, existing in this pocket of tranquility has proven more exhilarating than I anticipated.
I wake before sunrise, roused by roosters and the melodic Muslim morning prayer, and methodically unroll my mat in our living room. The transition between poses and the stillness between each breath stretches like infinity. Halfway through my practice, I'm rewarded with the majestic view of mountains embracing Fethiye, their silhouettes gradually illuminated by dawn's first light.
The experience feels nourishing and sacred. And that's generally how I feel about our time here—profoundly grateful.
I savor slow morning coffee while emptying the dishwasher (such an unexpected luxury in traveling life, usually confined to essentials), with music drifting from our portable JBL speaker as I await the children's gradual descent from their rooms. I kiss the morning dew from their eyelids and engage in conversations that meander between profound and trivial.
Our days unfold in beautiful simplicity: card games, homemade waffles for breakfast, our friends with whom we share this space joining us in the communal kitchen where we co-create and connect. We spend afternoons on vibrant market excursions, returning to arrange our discoveries on the expansive counter to share.
Life here is made of small treasures: spontaneous drawing sessions, elaborate Lego constructions scattered across the floor, befriending local cats who join us on lounge chairs in the garden, refreshing dips in the pool, dashing across the street to the charming park or to the gym on the opposite side.
We explore the surroundings on electric scooters, gliding through unfamiliar streets that gradually become familiar. We delight in raw milk, sun-ripened tomatoes that burst with flavor, and countless sweet strawberries that my children devour eagerly each day. Evenings bring board games, collaborative puzzles that grow piece by piece, shared laughter, one more twilight walk, and audiobooks that accompany us into the night. We journey through Charlotte Mason's "living book" recommendations, discussing Jules Verne's "Around the World in 80 Days" and countless other literary adventures.
Our life here contains nothing extraordinary yet encompasses everything valuable within that simplicity. Our children, balanced and content, respond repeatedly with genuine smiles: "I love our life."
What more could we possibly need?
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