One morning when I woke up, I realized that I could hear everyone’s inner voice. In the silence of the bedroom, my mother’s words, “I prepared it for Elif’s school,” echoed in my mind as she happily made toast. I felt the anxiety in my father’s mind as he discussed history in the kitchen, thinking, “Hoca Ahmet is wrong.” Outside, my neighbor Nevin Hanım was wondering, “What will the weather be like today?”
The children walking along the street excitedly planning their exhibitions, and an old grandfather thinking, “I am lonely, but maybe I can have a chat today,” warmed my heart. Everyone’s thoughts reached me like a melody; joyful, anxious, and full of hope. However, getting so close to people’s feelings started to become suffocating over time.
In order to find myself, I chose to take a step back and listen to others. The meaning of inner voices began with realizing the value of my own voice. This experience allowed not only the music of others’ feelings to resonate in my heart, but also my own melody. Now, I was both a listener and a participant.