I learned to live a life full of joy from my grandpa.
I wish I say goodbye to my life on this planet just as the way he did.
It has been a few months since he passed away.
On January the 14th, we were on the way to our little village where my grandpa was born and lived for years.
He wanted to be buried there and we respected his will.
Actually it was a heavy day. For about four hours till we reached the village, we were busy with our memories with him.
The music of these sad moments was the Gnossienne No.1 by Eric Satie.
What makes him the center of a life-with-a-cello blog is what makes him so important for me: I’m now sure that he was the joy mentor in my life. Joy is a warm, orange word for me.
Joy is the meaning of life
To tell it the other way, you feel that you live if you can put joy in everything you deal with.
Joy is the taste of life, it’s the wisdom of life, it’s the carrying column of life. Without joy, you feel lost in this huge universe.
Joy is something different from happiness. You can simulate happiness through lots of techniques. On the other hand, joy is something that comes from your inner self.
Joy is what you can find in all beings. It’s at the heart of life, it’s the renewal of nature now and then, it’s what makes life interesting and what makes you motivated to explore it.
For example, it’s the numbers for Katherine Globe Johnson (as described in the movie Hidden Figures) or equations for Srinivasa Ramanujan (as described in the movie The Man Who Knew Infinity) or time for Stephan Hawking (as described in the movie The Theory of Everything).
Joy is the motivation that makes scientists discover life and artists express life. It’s the power that makes us live fabulous lifes.
In my previous post, I’ve already talked about it:
I wanna be a note in the universal music. I wanna be a part of that harmony and joy together with all beings. Seeking joy in all aspects of life with a full integrity mood is what makes me excited.
My grandpa taught me to seek joy in life
He always had a smiling face, especially when he got older and wiser. His voice was musical. When you listened to him reading the holy texts closing your eyes, you would feel as if he was bringing you the music from the unreachable skies.
He had a loving heart, compassionate for every living creature. His faith in God motivated him to teach what he knew and what he learned. He was kind hearted.
We would love to hear his stories about the past, how he survived under hard conditions, and how he behaved kindly his loved ones even in such bad circumstances. After living years apart from him, I’d been living in the same city for the past six years. I tried to visit him whenever I had time from daily duties and work.
He used to sit in his corner, and when he noticed that I was in, he used to try to stand up and make a giant hug. I’ll always remember him sitting there, praying for the good of humanity and advising us being a better version of ourselves every new day.
Not only human-beings, but also animals and plants were subject to his love and prayers.
You could feel how he felt joy when talking about God’s advices. And it was obvious he loved to be with his Loved One during the late nights.
He taught me to seek joy in whatever I do in life.
It was a sunny afternoon…
Though it was winter, the weather was warm. The funeral was crowded and the people were full of respect. The dogs followed us till the cemetery playing and running. The birds were singing, the flowers were shining and smelling. You could feel the cheerful peace in the air. We left him there under the ground. Somehow none of us felt as if that was a very sad moment. Instead, it was a concentrated moment full of joy.
Afternoons are the best time of the day for me. A sunny and warm winter day is perfect. A long summer afternoon also makes the same effect: It’s as if you lived a life full of joy, eh you’re a bit tired and ready to go, and what you leave behind is a perfect story. Or a perfect tango.