Dear Kening,

When you are reading this, we will already be apart. Maybe you are at the airport in NYC, maybe in Istanbul, maybe in another city. Maybe we’ll meet sometime in the future, maybe never again.

I was honored to be a man that you could lean on to feel safe, peaceful, and quiet your thoughts. I wanted to somehow give that feeling to you when we are separated as well. That is the main motivation for this project.

Do you remember the story I told you about the autumn leaf? You are on a beautiful melancholic autumn road hugged by trees. Countless leaves are falling and fading away. One leaf lands on the windshield of the car, it stands out, and you notice it. Its beauty distracts you from the world; for a moment you forget, stop thinking and admire the leaf. The feeling of your mind slowly getting quiet, the anxiety in your chest feeling lighter, the knot in your throat easing up just a little bit. The story went on as the leaf goes away, and life comes back. I wondered to myself, how can I help you to relax in times when your mind won’t…

Then I saw your blog and YouTube channel and came across your cigarette kisses project. I was really touched by the idea that you create art for things going on in your life, real things, especially your feelings towards your loved ones. It inspired me to create this website.

My goal was to give you something that will always be there for you; something that you can’t lose. Something that will hopefully give you the feeling of peace and quiet I gave you, but without attachment to me. Just you, and that feeling, whenever you need it.

The leaf stays, because the leaf is no longer me. The leaf is meant to be that feeling.

The stone is just a physical token. You can keep it, lose it, or discard it. aquietroad.com will always be there. For you, just for you.

I wish the circumstances were different. However, that is life. Thank you so very much for every second we spent together and also spent longing for our next meeting, next touch, next dance, next kiss.

Umarım bir gün yeniden görüşürüz. Ama olmazsa kendine iyi bak. Sana sevgi dolu, mutlu bir hayat diliyorum. Belki başka bir evrende benimsin, kim bilir.

Tural