Weds 1st September 2010
This is it everyone, I’ve been discovered. I’m going to be an international mega star. All around the globe they will say my name in hushed, awed tones and refer to me as ‘The Ramazan Girl’. I will be held up as a figure of great inspiration and somebody will pay enormous sums for the movie rights to the story of my life. There will be billboards, premieres, red carpets and dazzlingly handsome A-Listers begging to be photographed with me, in a bid to save their ever-downward-spiraling career. And this, good people, all begins today.
It begins, now stay with me here, with an interview for The Highland News. A very reputable local paper, I will have you know. And there’s no reason not to believe that it could be inextricably linked to my pathway to fame and fortune. No reason at all.
Apart from the fact that the editorial process may cut out my blog address. And apart from the fact that the editorial process may actually cut out the whole article. Hmmm.
Well, let’s not live in the land of doubt. Let’s live in the land of happy optimism. The Highland News’ reporter was very lovely and we nattered over a coffee (hers, not mine) about my first ever experience of Ramazan. Apparently this could potentially be of some interest to people. Apparently what I’m doing is quite unusual and engaging. Apparently there’s a story in it. So you can see how I reached the natural conclusion of billboards and red carpets. Unfortunately Brad will have to accept that I will be taking Mustafa to the premiere, no matter how rocky things might be with Angelina.
So this time next week I will know if I’ve made the headlines or not. I think a little column in the corner might be more likely and that’s just fine with me. It got me thinking though, a thought I have had many times. It just keeps coming back like a faithful old dog. The thought is this: people are fascinating. I mean, they really are. No matter what corner of the globe you come from, no matter what you’ve done or haven’t done in your life, there is at least one engaging story buried in everybody’s internal world of experiences and memories. And for that one story there will be at least a handful of people who will be able to find truth and beauty. They will hear lines and imagine scenes that make them jump with empathy.
So maybe this Ramazan thing will engage people, even if only a little. It’s certainly taken over my heart, mind and soul for the last twenty two days. And, because Ramazan has also given me plenty of extra hours for contemplative thinking, I have had more time to listen to my heart, mind and soul. I will reserve proper judgment until the end of the challenge, but I know now that I want to write more; I know that it is possible for me to write more; I know that my life is pretty damn good and blessed and has its fair share of good old fashioned magic. And, overall, I know, for this short space of time, that people have been genuinely interested in it. Because, as people, we want to hear stories from others so we can compare, contrast and exercise our beautiful sense of empathy. Like muscles that need to be flexed, we need to use our compassion, understanding, wonder and intrigue. Because, in the end, we might, by accident learn something.
Mustafa told me about a famous Turkish saying which seems to fit quite aptly here: “Akıllı bir adam yalnız kendi tecrűbelerinden, çok akıllı bir adam başkalarının da tecrűbelerinden yararlanır.” It means something along the lines of: “A clever person learns from their own unique experiences, but a genius learns from somebody elses.”
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