Orange Day

Ducks in a row spotted at the Ihlamur Palace, one of Istanbul’s summer pavilions used to entertain guests and hold special banquets. ⛲️

It was such a spontaneous thing to happen for these ducks to form a row and start walking together. From loitering around the pond, then in a row to the gardens and away they went.🦆🦆🦆

Makes me think about all the effort we put into getting “our ducks in a row” when in fact it happens very naturally, with lots of quacking and waddling.

🧡 On Orange Day, take a look at what gets your ducks in a row. Maybe the right question to ask is who: Who are the people who align you and keep you in flow?

Here’s our 5yo shopping like a boss.🛍 She also gets to eat ice cream like a boss and climb a tree like a boss. Actually she feels like she can do anything like a boss, because deep down she has an unshakeable belief that she’s a boss: to Mom and Dad, she’s more important than anything.🥰

🧡 On Orange Day, find that unshakeable belief that lets you feel like a boss. Then go strut your stuff: Dance in the street, run on the sand, sing your heart out…or just go shopping and give yourself a great time.🥳

Fresh harvest of summer!🍇 Just amazing to bite into something cultivated in our home.🏡

Summer is intense this year, but it still is a season of bounty. 🌺 A great reminder on Orange Day to tend to our outer and inner gardens: Watch the seeds we plant in our minds and hearts, the water and nutrients we add for nourishment, and the pests we keep at bay.🧡

It’s almost a year since we moved to Turkey. Realized it today when I saw these ₺7 lira tomatoes. These days, they sell for ₺30 lira per kilo 🤯

“Time flies” is something we say a lot, especially when around kids who just “grow so fast”.🏃‍♀️ I look at my pics and notice the little big things that change everyday. For the most part, they make me smile.🙃

🧡 On Orange Day, look at the pics on your phone and try to find the patterns of what you pay attention to. What do they say about you?

The other day our daughter cried buckets because I didn’t keep my promise to pick her up from school.

“If you can’t keep your promise, just say maybe.”

💔

The next day I made sure to be there for her pick up. One of her favorite things to do is ride the bus, so we did the bus for mommy-daughter time.

I learned an important lesson that day: it’s okay to say maybe.😌

We’re told to let our yes mean a Yes and our no, a No. I say let’s add maybe to that list.

🧡 On Orange Day, let your maybe be a Maybe.

I’ve known these girls since we were nine. They make up half of my childhood barkada or close circle of friends, and it sucks to be thousands of miles away from them right now, especially with all the changes happening in our lives.🤸‍♀️

The other day I watched “Do Revenge” on Netflix. Reviews gave it good stars for its ode to 90s plot and music, but my biggest throwback came from seeing Maya Hawke all grown up and doing her own thing. Ethan Hawke was my ultimate childhood crush. I wrote to him twice, and got two hand-signed postcards in reply (nevermind that the signatures were different each time). Seeing his daughter carry the torch as a new generation celeb is an interesting trip down memory lane and back to the future.😉 Extra tug that she’s also in Stranger Things, another ode to our childhood that jumped through time, and with its own cult following today 🎬

Our childhood is a treasure trove, not just of memories, but of identity and feelings. And the people who bring us back there are treasures themselves.🎁

🧡 On Orange Day, ask yourself: When things are strange and need a little cheering up, who do you call? Who are your pickmeupper friends?

If there’s something strange
In your neighborhood
Who you gonna call?
…🎶