Thoughts: updown

(Istanbul 2011)

Which did you spot first? The woman going up or the man coming down? Or maybe you focused on that enigmatic leg in the corner that seems to be doing neither. This photo, taken not far from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, is one of my favorites because it reminds me, each and every time I look at it, that we see what we to see and hear what we want to hear. Today, I want to see the scarf-wearing woman who is making her way carefully up those ancient stairs. And I choose to believe that she’s going to a good home with a great family, and that the life in front of her will be filled with more triumphs than failures, more happiness than sorrow.