Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Mr. Joseph

The last time I posted on this thing was about 6 months ago and lots of things in my life have changed since then.  Reading my previous entry, the frustration I felt about the direction of my life 6 months ago gave me relief that I'm no longer in that same place.  My frustration actually worsened and I found my self depressed and out of sorts.  Yes, things are different now, but that is not the inspiration for this post.

On Monday night, I read on FB that Mr. Joseph had passed away.  Mr. Joseph was the guy that I stayed with my first month in India and helped me establish myself in Mysore.  Hearing the news that he had passed really tore me up.  In the short period that I have known this man, he made a huge impact on my life.  My plan to travel to India wasn't well thought out.  I basically woke up one morning last June and by the third week of August I was on a plane.  If you have never been to Mysore, it's not the easiest place to make accommodations from overseas.  Searching online I found a blog of this guy's house that rents out to yoga students.  I emailed an inquiry and when I received the email with the cost for the month, I emailed the guy back and told him that I thought his house was nice, but it's out of my budget.  The next day I receive an email back asking me what I can pay.  I replied with my budget and just like that I was paying half of the cost of the room.  To be honest, I was a bit weary that someone who I've never met before was willing to help me out so much.  As it turned out, my yoga teacher had known Joseph for years and even prior to his knowledge that I was Diana's student, he helped me.

Mr. Joseph helped me with everything and anything during my stay in India.  He was a father figure I never had and a teacher who opened my eyes to so many things.  I will never forget his generosity, he's awesome fruit salad, the motorcycle rides and all the time he spent with me perfecting my headstand.  I will truly miss him and feel fortunate to have met someone like him.