Allow me to indulge in a little brooding. I rarely do this in my blog, and truth be told, probably have not made a post without a cheerful picture of some sort.* But I had an Unfortunate Experience with a fellow countrywoman yesterday, who asked me the very question my blog title poses, but with no philosophical intentions and with a very (can I repeat this again? VERY) unfriendly attitude. And even after a good night’s sleep, I am still alternating between bristling and hurt. This experience helped me to come to three conclusions:
- After 30 years, I still don’t have good comebacks. This has become a lifetime ailment, I’m afraid. Just ask my brother.
- Being nice doesn’t guarantee the same treatment in return, but anger certainly does
- I hadn’t really thought to ask myself Why am I here? to such a degree since an existential crisis in high school
Brooding be done (and leaving out every possible detail, I know), the rest of the day was far more interesting, and fittingly surreal (sorry), with a visit to the Salvador Dali exhibition at the Sakip Sabanci Muzesi. I love his illustrations for Dante’s The Divine Comedy. And there is no doubt he has been credited as an amazing painter, but I think he is a far better draftsman and it shows in his exquisite sketches and notebook pages.
I still have “The Return to Innocence” playing in my mind since yesterday after sitting in a cafe where it was playing, along with Crowded House. “RTI” – no thank, Crowded House, yes please. To brighten my day today I saw two very well dressed Japanese girls in my neighborhood walking arm in arm. I smiled the rest of my way home because I hadn’t seen a hat that great in a long time, and it is nice to know every now and then that I am not the only foreigner around here.
*The little un-cheerful picture is from Dali’s illustrations for The Divine Comedy, called the Delightful Mount.