Thursday with Chopin

Have you ever had a feeling so much stronger than any rational thinking or reason could dictate you otherwise? Today I woke up early with that thought. And right away I thought of Chopin. The French eve attempted to claim him for his own. But he will always belong to Poland.  Just think about it, every etude, every polonaise, nocturne that he composed was his expression of longing to a place he was not meant to see again in his lifetime. And you can hear it in every note. The feeling it so deep and so strong that often when I listen, the feeling overcomes me. I absolutely understand him. Yes. It is possible to miss a place. And everyday of your life becomes a memory of something that was, a moment that made you extremely happy, a person that was your best friend. I get it! I cry with him in his unhappiness. He died missing Poland, his homeland. The place where he left his heart.

Kamikawa sketch

When I was leaving Japan a secretary of one of the schools I taught in told me that she would miss me a lot but she is happy because I was going to my own country, my place so I must have been happy. I remember how i turned around, stopped putting my shoes on and said to her that " I am leaving my heart in Japan." She stopped smiling and put her palms on her chest in a gesture of understanding. I did see a tear in her eye. She was moved.

https://goo.gl/photos/6u3sZJkzUf5oXHar7
Chichibu Cycling

Today the mayor of that town where my heart resides thanked me for missing his country. I thought it was so sweet and so honest. You can see his love for his own place of birth. One can only admire it and understand the profound impact such feeling has on one's character. I am very thankful for his comment and I hope that one day I can thank him in person, in Japan. And so that my heart can be happy again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef-4Bv5Ng0w
Prelude In E-Minor (op.28 nr. 4)

Chopin was never allowed to come back to his place of birth. He died in France. And although many aristocratic friends and admirers adored him and many women fainted just by noticing him on the street, he wanted to be in Poland. His longing for the motherland stayed in his music that we can listen to in various interpretations and skill levels. We can listen to it and re-live his profound sensitivity! I just hope that when his sister smuggled his heart back to Poland, it finally got the peace it deserved. He requested it himself when he was still alive. His sister hid it in a jar of some alcohol and brought it under her garments in order to fulfil his wish. I hope Chopin doesn't suffer the longing anymore and rests in loving peace in Holy Cross church in Warsaw.