The B-Roll #16

Flag parade of girls at the Youth And Sports Day in 1939.

This is the sixteenth edition of my weekly newsletter, The B-Roll. Thank you for coming along for the ride. If you think someone in your life might also enjoy these letters, please share this with them.

Hey buttercup,I'm sitting here in my apartment, looking at pictures of the lunar eclipse because I live in Seattle and the clouds showed up right on time. It's nature's law, like whenever I get my hair done, it will 100% rain. C'est la vie.Did you get to see the eclipse where you are? I hope you did. ***I've been riding a wave of nostalgia for the past few weeks, mainly because I'm about to get a on a plane to Scotland for a wedding. My high school best friend, Jackie, is getting married and since it's a destination wedding, I get the privilege of being there amongst family. We've been through a lot over the course of our friendship (that is now old enough to drink) and I have always felt so lucky to have her in my life. Her family has always been accepting of me whenever I visited her during college, but this past year, they went above and beyond to show how much they value our friendship. I would go to the ends of the world for a handful of my friends, Jackie being at the top of my list. Our friendship is so sacred but I never realized just how much her sisters and parents appreciated it as well. Tell the people in your life what they mean to you. Often. There's no need to wait for special occasions because life is short, and your bond is the special occasion.***A few of my friends and I do Letterloop (a way to create group newsletters for friends and family). I came across it on Product Hunt when I was in Turkey in 2020. It was during my mental health sabbatical and I threw it together on a whim, assuming that my friends wouldn't be interested. After all, we had a group chat where we kept in touch and we hang out all the time in Seattle (even socially distant during the peak of the pandemic).But they all loved it. Because it turns out, even with the daily texting, we're all craving a way to stay connected in a more meaningful way. Where we can continue to get to know each other, ask tough questions, ask for help, and cheer each other on. There are set questions in the newsletter, but in every edition, we can add questions to it. This week, one of my friends asked: "What was the last fear you overcame and how?"I don't believe that we overcome fears. Not completely. We can decode our fears, figure out the root causes, the triggers, and how we can control our reaction to them, instead of letting them control us. Me? These days, I'm working on my fear of abandonment. ***There is one thing my friends have in common, whether our friendship is 30, 21, or 7 years old. They understand that relationships require flexibility and openness. They required the difficult conversations because we go through growing pains. These relationships and conversations are how I've been conquering my fear of abandonment. What about you? What makes your relationships tick? 

CULTURE CORNER: May 19

On May 19, 1919, Ataturk landed in Samsun, which is regarded as the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence. I mentioned a few weeks ago that Ataturk considered children one of the most valuable parts of our Turkish culture. He believed that the youth would be the protectors of the Republic, 2o, it's no surprise that he dedicated May 19th to the youth, which became codified as a national holiday in 1938. 

Atatürk'ü Anma, Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı

is celebrated on May 19th every year by singing the national anthem, visiting Anıtkabir, and other activities around the country to commemorate the beginning of the struggle that led to the establishment of our Republic. 

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Thanks for reading this far, friend. As with everything in life, this is a continuous work-in-progress and you can always hit "Reply" to give me feedback, commentary, or your thoughts on the topic of the letter.Until next time, I wish you a sane and healthy week.With love,