Keyif: The State at the Heart of Thanksgiving Beyond Gratitude

And of course, there is the cosmic joke here: Thanksgiving and Turkish keyif connect through one shared word in English… turkey.
Though the country Turkey is now called Türkiye.

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday in the US. Not because of the history or the parades or even the food on its own, but because of the unmistakable feeling that settles over the entire day, even before it begins.

A slow and warm tide softening the whole system. A deep and relaxed state where the belly is happy, the heart feels warm, the mind unwinds, there is a glimpse of a content soul, and time simply forgets to move. A stretched joy as if time has loosened its edges.

The same kind of ease, perhaps for some, that comes from listening to a favorite song with a glass of a favorite drink by the beach on vacation after a chaotic season. Anxiety slips off. Life’s demands lose their grip. The restless mind steps aside. Awareness returns to simple, precious moments unfolding, with gratitude. Breathing becomes seamless. Beyond mindfulness. Soulfulness. A harmony of all parts of being at ease. Beyond gratitude.

Now, if none of the above matches your Thanksgiving, well, may “keyif” find its way to you.

Wait. What is keyif?

Here is how it goes.

Searching for “keyif” in English

Last year, while shaping the early layers of my oceanic well-being coaching, I kept searching for an English word that could hold this state we already have a perfect word for in Turkish: keyif.

I scanned many words: joy, pleasure, awe, bliss, delight, happiness, peace, savoring, among others. Joy was too bright and momentary. Happiness felt flat, almost dry. Pleasure too fleeting. Bliss came the closest, yet still felt distant, as if it lived in meditation rooms or sunset rituals rather than in a kitchen full of mismatched plates and half-finished jokes floating through the air.

I searched online. I asked AI models. I asked foreigner friends whether their languages had a version of keyif. Some ideas came close, but close is not the same as true. None captured what it means in Turkish. I kept borrowing joy, but joy was never the right fit, even though I kept - and keep- using it.

This Thanksgiving week, the clarity finally landed.

I had been searching for a word that simply does not exist in English. Not to my knowledge at least. Maybe someone reading this knows one. If so, please share.

But I finally recognized the exact English context for it.

The feeling at the center of Thanksgiving is keyif.

This is why Thanksgiving has always felt like my holiday here. It is the closest thing in the US to what we call kahve keyfi in Turkish: that stretched, timeless state of drinking Turkish coffee with loved ones.

I will even add: not with just anyone. Although Turkish coffee somehow has a way of turning anyone into keyif insanı, keyif, in my view, truly emerges when oneself, or everyone at the table, drops into that deeply relaxed, worry-free, blissful, stretched-joy state together.

It feels like an elevated vibrational timeless field that oneself, or everyone, slips into together without effort.

Keyif examples

Keyif is meeting a dear friend or family member over black tea and simit in the middle of chaotic Istanbul. Everything around honks, rushes, pushes, but the moment you sit, a different atmosphere forms. A pause slides between you and the city. It feels as if intention arrives before you do, clearing the space, softening the energy, preparing it for true connection.
Time freezes inside a moment that vibrates a little higher than the rest.

Keyif is sitting on a balcony with a tulip glass of çay as the sun dissolves into the Bosphorus or Mediterranean.
It is the first milky sip of rakı when the conversation softens and nobody checks the time.

Warm presence. Open-hearted ease. No guilt. No urgency. Just good people, food, drinks, stories.
A steady contentment where time feels infinitely generous. Conversations rising without effort. No performance. No agenda. No rush.

And of course, keyif shows up in long weekend breakfasts at home or at a cafe by the sea. Turkish breakfast is not just any breakfast. A real Turkish breakfast looks as if poverty has never existed anywhere. Countless plates. Endless flavors. Abundance made visible. Brunch in the US is a version of it, but something is always missing. The fullness. The slowness. The stretched joy. The warmth. The curiosity and excitement to explore each others’ stories. The deep ears. The atmosphere inviting you to stay longer. Food savored at its own rhythm.

There are many more examples of keyif I could give, but for now I will leave it here.

Thanksgiving as keyif

With all of that in mind, this Thanksgiving finally offered a true English context for keyif, the state at the heart of Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanksgiving, when done right, is keyif in American clothing.

The turkey becomes a generous, delicious tryptophan delivery system. Side dishes turn into meze with different spices.
The table stays full long after eating stops. Wait, eating does not stop. That’s the fun part of it. Nobody rushes to clean (well, almost nobody, since there is often that one , right?), and eventually everything is done with many hands around.

The golden light shifts into purple. Laughter softens. People settle. Relaxation deepens. And the afternoon and evening stretch into something like kahve keyfi with cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.

Aligning the meaning

Yes, after a year of trying to find the closest English equivalent, this Thanksgiving finally aligned all the meanings. That feeling at the core of Thanksgiving is the feeling Turkish culture has named for generations: keyif.

Great company. Amazing food. Food is part of it, yes, but never the whole. It is the atmosphere. The gentle art of slowing down to savor every bite and moment. The slowness. The shared connection and intention to enjoy moments, and a pause from life’s demands. The intentional pause that lets everyone breathe and be at the same frequency.

Only presence.
Only keyif.

When a single day offers a doorway back to this simple human truth, something inside settles in a way that feels ancient.
That, to me, is one of the deepest forms of well-being.

Keyif, the deeply relaxed, warm, stretched-joy state, is a doorway into total well-being. And a life rich in keyif holds one of the quiet, steady secrets of living well, at least in my view.

So now I celebrate keyif in two languages.

I give thanks the American way, spoken out loud around the table. And I give thanks the Turkish way, quietly in the bones. Keyifler olsun.

Closing

No long closing reflections or invitations today, other than wishing a keyifli Thanksgiving to those celebrating it.
And for those not celebrating Thanksgiving, or simply anyone reading this, may your life be full of keyif.

I did not want to have “enough” time to perfect this reflection, and writing it was already filled with keyif. A few lines may echo themselves again and again, perhaps my way of reinforcing the meaning. I will certainly continue the reflections on keyif, which sits at the heart of Yildiz Oceanic Well-Being. For now, after a keyifli day, including keyifli bites of the delicious smoked turkey in the photo above, it is time to move on to a keyifli sleep.

Until next time…

– Keyifle 🌊

Written by Zelda – Dr. Selda Yildiz, in reflective dialogue with her AI muse, Amea.

Guest insights appear with permission and attribution.
© 2025 Selda Yildiz | Yildiz Oceanic Well-Being | All rights reserved.

✨ Disclaimer: This post is for general educational purposes only. It is not medical advice, nor a substitute for professional consultation, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have concerns about your health, please seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Our Guest Tides and Currents bring fresh perspectives – not endorsements or promotions, but explorations and invitations to dialogue in support of sustainable well-being.