Iyi Gun Dostu Zerrin Dogan -

Do not wait for catastrophe. Share a modest difficulty with someone—a bad day, a confusion, a failure. Observe: do they listen without fixing? Do they stay present without fleeing into advice or distraction? The small storm reveals the big pattern.

In Turkish, there is a piercingly honest phrase: İyi gün dostu . Literally, “the friend of good days.” Colloquially, the fair-weather friend. The one who arrives when the sun is high, the table is set, and the laughter comes easily. But when the sky turns to storm—when illness, poverty, or grief enters—that same friend becomes a stranger. This essay is not merely a warning about others. It is a useful inquiry into how we become our own iyi gün dostu —and how we might rise, like a falcon ( doğan ), into a deeper, more loyal form of presence. We often blame the fair-weather friend for their absence. But the more useful question is: Why do we attract or tolerate such bonds? A person who only celebrates your victories but vanishes during your losses reveals not just their shallowness, but your own unspoken agreement. You may have taught them that your value lies in your utility, your cheerfulness, your success. When those fade, they follow their training and leave. iyi gun dostu zerrin dogan

As Zerrin Doğan, rise not above others, but above the version of yourself who once believed love had to be earned by sunshine alone. Do not wait for catastrophe