Creativity

Songs of Life

Avicii (…I know. Hella way to start a post after being MIA for longer than a Tyler Perry series!) Anyway, as I was saying, Avicii’s song has been playing on repeat on my head.

…One day you’ll leave this world behind…

The Nights by Avicii

My grandad passed on recently. We buried him last week. Orada (which in my native language means lion) was 91 and had lived to see three generations. He ran a good race.

Here are a couple of things I learned amidst the tears.

1. Are you Ready?

Ready or not… Here I come

Ready or not by the Fugees

Orada’s health had been in the red for a while. A series of strokes coupled with prostrate challenges had seen him become a regular at the hospital. We knew all this and yet, his death still caught us by surprise. We cried rivers. Attempted to pinch ourselves out of our ‘dreams’ and even questioned his doctor’s credentials. To his credit, the good doctor, having seen this scene many times, gracefully embodied his favourite Grey’s Anatomy avatar and consoled us to acceptance.

2. It’s a short trip, enjoy it.

Where did the time, where did the time go?

Expectations by Wale x 6Lack

Orada’s burial gave us a chance to relive his history. We were regaled with tales of his younger days, vicariously relived almost a century through pictures and reflected on his words.

It was interesting for me to see him in his youthful element. Quite a charmer he was! It was even more intriguing to see his metamorphosis into a wheelchair in his final years.

In the day-to-day, it seems like time isn’t moving. Yet documented in pictures and words, memories and regrets, life is moving.

3. Sobering Reminder

Dunia tunapita…Binadamu ni mchanga (We are passing this world…Man is soil

Samba Mapangala

We all know we shall die at some point. Yet in between living and trying to make a living, we somehow ‘forget’ that this is the path for all mortals.

The death of a loved one has a way of shaking you back to this reality. Not just a life but a meaningful life. An intentional life.

As Seneca famously said;

As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.

23 thoughts on “Songs of Life”

  1. Happy to read you Billy even though in such a sad moment of your life. I like when you say that we should love an intentional life, which I guess your grandpa did. Condolences and take a good care of yourself.

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  4. I love your portrayal of your beloved grandad, and your in-depth look at the meaning of life, and his life within it. The passing of a loved one does tend to bring questions of it all, doesn’t it? For me, the greatest comfort in facing such a loss is in the awareness that we are not our bodies—we are what lives on forever.

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  5. Your second point about the passage of time is thought-provoking. Life often feels stagnant in the day-to-day, but when we look back at the memories, photographs, and words, we realize just how swiftly time moves. It’s a reminder to cherish each moment and make the most of the short trip we have here.

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  10. Sorry to hear of your granddad’s passing but so good to read you again. Great quotes and important messages!

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