Dear reader,
thank you following me here. I´m now moving to Wordpress.
The blog will be available from the 31st of March under
www.claudiaferretti.com/blog/
See you there!
xxx
Claudia
WalkYourPath
Molecules of Meaning
Friday, 28 March 2014
Sunday, 9 March 2014
Of cats and pumpkin lamps
I
woke up to a grey sky in the late morning. Well, it can't be so bad,
I'm in Alanya! - I thought. Full of hope I packed a few things into
my backpack and headed to what's already my favourite bakery. After
chatting a few minutes with the clerk, who assured me that his
working shift of twelve hours is perfectly normal here, I walked
towards the beach. My plan was to enjoy the breeze while having
börek. In fact, I did fulfil my plan. However, I ended up eating
pretty fast as the breeze wasn't exactly pleasant and it even started
raining.
One
of the reasons I came here is that there isn't much to do around this
town, especially in this season. So I could rest at last. However, my
inner control freak started wondering what I'd do here the whole day
with such weather. I knew there was a cave around there and oh! - as
for chance, it was just a few meters away from where I was. My
control freak started getting uneasy again after a few minutes, as
soon as I realised that the cave was just a small place. Once
outside, I simply decided to go back to the port and have a walk.
However
the weather is and wherever in the world I am, the sea has always the
power to fill my heart with peace and joy. Its smell and sound, the
waves coming and going, the endless giving and taking between sea and
shore...
I
wanted to reach the small lighthouse but the way wasn't where I
expected it to be. I had a look around and decided to visit the red
tower, the most important monument of the town. Included in the
ticket, one could visit the shipyard. I love everything that's
connected to ships so I went for it. I had a look and supposed I'd be
done in a few minutes.
And
then I realised that actually, right out of the shipyard, there was a
path leading to the walls of the castle. I walked uphill. The view
was breathtaking. I climbed a smaller path through orange trees in
bloom, olive trees and flowers in the grass. A sign pointed up – I
followed it.
I
found myself in a different place: no tourists around, nobody trying
to sell me something. Only houses made of stone and wood, flowers, a
paved narrow road and birds singing. And then I saw him. He looked at
me with elegant and lazy eyes and turned back. To my left there were
hundreds pumpkin lamps hanging from the wall of a small house, and
more pumpkin lamps above the road and at the windows. I was in a
fairy tale. He stopped by her and they looked to each other. He was
striped and slow, she was spotted and was sitting on the stairs like
a matron. He meowed to me – I greeted him back.
And
then a man arrived. He came from uphill with a bunch of fresh flowers
in his hand. He took the cat into his arms and they showed each other
their mutual love, rubbing and kissing each other noses. I couldn't
help but staying there in the middle of the road, staring at thar
heartwarming demonstration of deep affection. The man greeted me,
gave some of his flowers and introduced me to his cats. In that
moment, the Pharaoh arrived: Sultan – the queen of his heart. I've
rarely seen so much love in my whole life.
The
man invited me to follow him and we walked to the Eastern bastion of
the castle. Sultan and Marco (the cat I followed in the beginning)
came with us. The man picked something from a tree and offered the
small green fruits to me. I'm usually very reluctant to try new
things, especially when I don't know what they are and they've just
been picked from a tree by a stranger.
They
were almonds. And I was delighted. I had no clue one could eat fresh
almonds.
We
climbed up the walls, at the very end of the peninsula that makes old
Alanya, and simply stayed watching the sea and the rare ships. We sat
there for as long as it was, Sultan asleep in his lap and Marco
walking around and keeping everything under control. He told me about
the story of the town, his life and his choice to live there,
surrounded by cats and the beauty of nature, far enough from the city
centre. We talked about our relationships and our countries. And we
talked about God. He wondered how comes we always go to God when
something isn't working, when we are ill or don't get what we want,
but we forget about It when we are fine.
How
can we get more of what we have if we forget to be grateful?
He
asked nobody in particular. I looked at him and I saw pure joy in his
eyes. Apparently, he has so much less than one might need, and yet I
realised there wasn't really anything he was missing. I saw how much
love he was able to give to his cats and to himself... He said:
What's
the point in life if you can't take some time and go collect some
flowers for your house?
We
walked back to his house and when I left I had not only my hands full
of presents from him – flowers, fresh rosemary and a small pumpkin
lamps – but also my heart filled with his loving presence.
Sometimes
all we have to do is to trust deeply and follow the path under our
feet.
©
Claudia Ferretti
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