Slice of Life Tuesday is hosted by Two Writing Teachers
Flying back from visiting my parents in London, I experienced all that has become common in air travel today: long lines, long waits, and a tiny space in which to spend long travel hours. Feeling rather sorry for myself, I spent the first few hours of my flight grading papers. Then, while shuffling between the “done” pile and the “to do” one, I dropped my pen. No amount of searching around and under my seat yielded anything more than dirty tissues and candy wrappers. I stepped over my sleeping seat mate to try to retrieve my backpack (also known as my traveling office) from the overhead compartment, but even that proved fruitless: it was wedged behind bigger bags and beyond my just above five foot reach.
Disgruntled and cranky, I decided to watch a movie…and that’s when my whole evening was transformed. Among the few good choices available was this:
Hundreds of thousands of Turkish cats roam the metropolis of Istanbul freely. For thousands of years they’ve wandered in and out of people’s lives, becoming an essential part of the communities that make the city so rich. Claiming no owners, the cats of Istanbul live between two worlds, neither wild nor tame — and they bring joy and purpose to those people they choose to adopt. In Istanbul, cats are the mirrors to the people, allowing them to reflect on their lives in ways nothing else could.
How to resist? Within moments, I was transported to Istanbul, and cats, cats, cats, everywhere. Gentle and shy cats, brazen and aggressive cats, and cats of varying sizes and hues. As different as the cats were, the response of the citizens of Istanbul were universally accepting, delighted, amused, even loving. About halfway through, I came upon these lines, and just had to take the following still shots :
This in-flight, made from a movie poem has stayed with me ever since. You can find gifts in the most unexpected places, when you least expect it.
Thanks for this one friend.
And aren’t those gifts the best?
Thank you so much for this lovely post and addition to my to be watched list. I love watching cats watch the world. So much to learn from them. Glad you dropped that pen!
“Everything is beautiful when you look at it with love” — so true!
I just added this to my watchlist. Thanks!
Beautiful! So glad you watched and found this poem. 🙂
Tara, how wonderful that you found peace among the annoyances. I love the progression of slides. I thought you were going to London for Thanksgiving?
This was just the post I needed to read today. Thank you, Tara. (And clearly a film I MUST see!)
As a fellow cat lover, I simply must see this movie. I love the found poem you created. And I need to learn how you took those still shots (stopped the movie and snapped a pic on your phone?). Traveling – often a challenge, but look what you found because you lost your pen.
What a great title for a blog series…Lost and Found. And your slice today would be a wonderful first entry! Just saying…
I’m afraid I had to get through NCTE (where you were sorely missed) before I could respond. But I saw this when it came out, and amid all the news that too often throws me into despair, Kati reminded me that life can be good, at least for cats & cat lovers!