The Many Joys in Life

Many there is a thing
That gives me joy
Poetry for instance
Not to mention songs, movies
Speaking of movies
The yasa and mannerism and manner of speaking
Of Siddhu Jonnalagadda
The friendship of some - be it male or female
The personality of Socrates
The wisdom of Schopenhauer
The passionate intensity of Nietzsche
The ethereal otherworldliness of Sankaracharya
The stunning understanding of Ramana Maharshi
The cool Nisargadatta Maharaj
The cute Vivekananda
The rockstar Swami Sarvapriyananda
My siblings and cousins and relatives
Their spouses and children
That I am single with its associated freedom
That I am now retired
That I now understand life
My reconciliation with all my faults
Be they as they are or were
My reconciliation with others' judgement
And condemnation of me
The humility to accept my imperfections
My this withdrawal into solitude
Yet friends extending their hand
To reach out to me in love
The many other possibilities for joy
And yet amidst this to quietly meditate
On the "I Am"
And quietly let go of the burden
Of my personality and its quirkiness
And ultimately to realize
Life is not all that bad
And is no big deal
Though some sadness remains
How life is a burden for some.