open your eyes

what do you see?

Once upon a February I won a contest on Instagram from Lily of Clean Food Dirty City, who I had followed randomly after a mutual friend tagged her in a post. I received a ticket to Bitten: A Food Conversation, which I was genuinely thrilled to attend.

At the conference I met and bumped into talented, interesting people who geeked out about food just as much as I did, whether they cooked it or talked about it or took stunning photos of it. We listened to inspiring speakers share stories of their businesses, products, and missions, and many of us entered yet another contest.

At the end of the conference, my name was selected second out of a hat at random [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][the first name they called had already left!], and guess who won 2 round-trip tickets to Turkey on Turkish Airlines? Before they even called names I opened my eyes wide, stared at the founders on the stage, sat comfortably in my chair, and exclaimed matter-of-factly, “It’s me. They’re going to pick me.” My new friends around me giggled at my persistence, and rejoiced with me as we collectively witnessed the miracle.

Open your eyes. Can you see the life you are creating? Can you see the miracles?

We all have internal eyes, too. In yoga it can be referred to as a drishti or meditative gaze. We can ask ourselves what we are consuming physically and mentally, and watch our internal Selves to notice if what are are doing fuels our focus or derails our attention. We can act in accordance to how we envision our Selves and our lives.

My vision board for 2015 was another set of eyes which foreshadowed a future that had become my reality. When I peeked at it after my victorious win, I saw beautiful beaches and words like “live well,” “community,” and “explore.” In hindsight, my eyes were always on that prize.

Turkish Airlines suggested a few coastal options, and I ran into a Turkish yoga student of mine on the train a few weeks after winning who sent me amazing recommendations. The Universe is good like that.

After some research and anticipation, my boyfriend and I landed in Bodrum, Turkey the first week of October. The plane’s descent promised plenty of natural beauty with the surrounding mountains, windy coastline and stunning sunset.

Open your eyes. Notice the beauty around you, wherever you are.

Bodrum is a city with a quick, colorful pulse paired with the laissez-faire attitude of a seaside town. The city’s castle jets out into the sea, making sure everyone knows who’s boss. The mosques echo their prayers early, but the streets are empty until late morning, aside from dogs that live on the beach.

The city is situated on a small hill, complete with winding white stone alleyways, tourist shops, intricate rugs, figs and sesame as far as the eye could see, coffee grounds, herbs and spices. The mainland’s dizzying display faces the calm sea – a perfect physical and mental repose from Bodrum’s buzz.

We arrived late at the central bus stop, and with the help of determined locals found our way to our hotel. Myndos Pansiyon is a small building of guest-rooms run by a very sweet family who kindly answered questions on where to go, what to do, and of course what to eat.

One evening on our way upstairs, I saw the mother of the family rolling small rectangles of phyllo dough with homemade spinach and cheese mixture for breakfast the following morning. Turkish breakfast is simple and flavorful, usually a combination of simit sesame bread, egg, vegetables like tomato and cucumber, olives with herbs and olive oil, meats and cheeses, yogurt, small pastries, pomegranate or citrus juice, and of course bitter Turkish tea or coffee.

A general tip from my sweet Turkish friend was to look for restaurants whose signage said ev yemikleri, which means the food is “cooked at home.” We were recommended a spot just around the corner from our hotel, and because it was the end of busy season we wound up having the place to ourselves.

Dukkan, aside from its charming patio, is boarded by a small side kitchen with a long open window, and what seems to be the owner’s living room with a few extra seats. I chose homemade meze from their outdoor fridge after they patiently described each one, almost everything coated in flavorful Turkish olive oil. On our second visit, my boyfriend chose sol baked in parchment paper with fresh herbs and vegetables.

A boat trip around the Bodrum coastline was a fun, relaxing way of exploring the spattering of islands, each offering spectacular blue waters and beautiful swims. As I scanned the horizon I could hardly bring myself to believe this experience was real: floating weightless in the sea above colorful fish, smelling and tasting its salt, reading and lounging on the boat’s flat roof littered with pillows, gazing at the landscape of peaceful mountains and trees, nowhere to go and nothing to do.

Open your eyes. What do you see, smell, taste in this moment?

I had found Gambilya Natural Cuisine in Bodrum City on Trip Advisor after searching for “best restaurants,” which also fell under “healthy food.” Yes, I research this ahead of time, and it pays off.

The owners are a lovely Turkish couple committed to offering fresh, mostly local and sustainable meals as well as a place to sit and discuss matters like politics and religion openly. Selo, who serves his wife’s thoughtful food, chatted with us in such a genuine and casual manner we could have stayed at our table for days. He took time to explain to us things like the country’s ancient culture and monuments, the current state of the political parties, and the heirloom seeds the farmers use to grow some of the food we enjoyed.

The most memorable items within our three [yes, three] evenings there were warm hummus and fava bean dip with spices and garlic, celery in yogurt with olive oil and walnuts, vine leaves wrapped around herbed rice, zucchini fritters, and sautéed dried figs with buttercream and cinnamon for dessert. My boyfriend had the meatballs every night on their pleasant outdoor patio, covered in greens, succulents and local flowers.

We took the trusty Dolmus bus to neighboring cities, and stumbled upon Gumuscafe Fish Restaurant in Gumusluk, thanks to the tips from my friend. Their meze was nothing short of a dream: stuffed zucchini flowers with herbed rice, pickled beets with garlic, roasted red pepper in olive oil, sardines in olive oil and red pepper flakes, seaweed in olive oil and pressed garlic, eggplant marinated in yogurt with tomato sauce and herbs, fava bean dip with garlic and herbs. It was too good to be true, yet true it was.

Without asking, as if reading my mind, the server kindly brought us a small clay dish of halva for dessert: tahini, milk, lemon, and walnuts. Completely satisfied yet still intrigued, I noticed a line winding out the door of the local bakery, where we picked up homemade baklava drenched in honey and carrot cake for later. The town moves at such an easeful pace, the surrounding mountain range keeping this precious place tucked away from the mainland. The shops and seafood restaurants are adorable, funky, calm yet lively.

Open your eyes. What’s around you? How does it make you feel?

A visit to Yalikavak’s sleepy fisherman’s town offered sweet port cafes and leisurely seaside walks, and we spent our last day in Akyarlar on a very pleasant, quiet beach a safe distance away from its resort area. It was almost empty of tourists this time of year, perfect for swimming and eating, of course, fresh meze.

On our final evening in Bodrum we found ourselves in a luxurious Turkish towel and upholstery store. The lovely woman who has been running the shop for 26 years is from and still lives in Bodrum, as does her entire family, and sells gorgeous traditional items unlike many other tourist gifts. She explained to us how most Turkish cotton grown in the South contains no pesticides, and if a towel doesn’t turn out right it is destroyed, after which the cotton is re-spun to weave a new towel so nothing is wasted.

Open your eyes. Who is around you? What can they teach you?

My eyes and heart were inspired by the ways in which people relished living simply in both Turkey and Greece, whose Dodecanese islands are just off the coast of Bodrum. The importance of family, conversations and strolls without smart phones was enough for any New Yorker to look a their life and question the rat race and human existence itself.

What we saw was not always appealing, pleasing, or comfortable. News of the tragedy in Ankara came just a few days after arriving, the country’s flags hanging at half-mast with heavy hearts. Rafts of refugees from countries unknown to us were seen being picked up in the middle of our short ferry ride from Bodrum to Kos, camping along the port with their families and the clothes on their back. And yet amongst the tents and these people who had fled a life unfamiliar to me, there were still a few smiles.

It felt too real, too much, too heavy, but there it was right in front of us. There was no blinking and disappearing, just witnessing.

There was so much I wanted to do, but didn’t know what to do or how to do it. In lieu of my bewilderment and heartache, I repeated a mantra to myself inspired by Tonglen meditation while hearing of the Ankara incident and walking past refugees: I breathe in suffering for all of us, I breathe out relief for all of us. I will never know if it was heard or felt, but I hope that offering from my heart sent some energy somewhere, to someone in need of it.

Just because we open our eyes does not mean everything we see is as exhilarating as the Aegean Sea, but we see it none the less. When we see and observe things clearly, we are able to open up to the full spectrum of emotions and experiences, real life, #nofilter.

To me, traveling results in a general worldly awareness, curiosity, and acceptance; it defuses any borders or differences in culture, religion, philosophies, and practices. If we open our eyes and look at what we are witnessing honestly, I truly believe that tension will fizzle, and our ability to relate will expand exponentially.

When we open our eyes fully and completely, we will see no limit or barrier to the love we can offer ourselves, each other, and the planet.

I am still in shock from winning these tickets, from experiencing this magic because of an Instagram prize and a contest at Bitten’s food conference. And yet, my vision board [and my internal vision] told me so…

Open your eyes. Envision the dream. Live the dream. Repeat.

What do you do to widen and defog your lenses?

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