Saanich, B.C., senior rides around on scooter playing harmonica to spread joy
When John Ryzebol started riding his scooter, it was the colour of wet asphalt at night.
“I heard a big truck coming,” he says, before imitating the roaring sound that was driving towards him. “But he never seen me.”
So — to avoid being almost smacked by a semi again — John painted his scooter a far-from-mellow yellow.
“This scooter is my Ferrari!” John laughs, before pointing to a sticker of the car logo on his dash.
John also painted a mural on the wall beside his driveway, depicting his past on the prairies.
“I was born in that little old house there,” his says, adding that his dad delivered him because there was no doctor nearby.
John was one of nine kids enduring the Great Depression.
“Lost everything, but it did us good,” he says before bursting into infectious laughter. “It humbled us to the dust!”
John holds up a black-and-white picture of himself from when he was seven, before imitating his younger voice: “We got to write Santa Claus a letter!”
That Christmas, he requested and received a harmonica. John says he couldn’t have been more grateful, learned how to play “Jingle Bells,” and realized “the power of music is joy.”
Now, he shares his joy with his wife of 65 years, Rita.
“It makes him happy that he can play,” she smiles.
John plays for more than just his ever-expanding family (two children, seven grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren). Since the start of the pandemic, John’s been taking musical rides around the neighbourhood, playing harmonica from his scooter every day.
“He enjoys entertaining people,” Rita laughs.
John pulls out a piece of paper filled with typed titles. He says his playlist — which ranges from country to classical — is 1,000 songs long.
His goal is to perform a sunny soundtrack no matter the weather, to make the people he passes feel better.
If there’s one thing John’s learned after travelling so many miles on the road of life (he says he’s “close to 100” years old), if you live like you’re on a joy ride, you’ll always feel powered by positivity.
“Enjoy life to the fullest,” John says before returning to his harmonica and racing off in his “Ferrari.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.