Here now

It seems like it has already been a day since I sat on this wall outside the rooftop restaurant atop the Hotel Arcadia where we are staying in the historic section of Istanbul. But actually it has only been an afternoon and an evening, with a three hour lap in the middle.

We eat lunch and dinner in a nearby restaurant, which is owned by one of the professor's friends. Lunch was in the restaurant's courtyard, bordered by a three section stone wall. One section, the proprietor tells us as he is escorting us back to our hotel following dinner, was built in the first century; the second, which is finely fluted section was built in the 10th century; and the third is a rough fieldstone wall from the 17 century.

The turrets of the blue mosque are lit and sea gulls glide around the high cylindrical columns, soaring across the dark night sky, their bodies illuminated from below. It is the eve of Eid ul-Adha/Kurban Kayram, which is an official holiday in Turkey, and the day when the angels and the ancients are said to be more available to assist those who ask. As I watch the majestic birds soar with invisible energy, I am aware of the everpresent beauty all around and the great potential that it holds for those who pause in the moment to recognize it.

I am ready for a good night's rest and have plans to attend morning prayers at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow.