We were standing at the top of a church tower. My father had brought me to this spot in a small town not far from our home in Rome. I wondered why.

“Look down, Elsa,” father said. I gathered all my courage and looked down. I saw the square in the center of the village. And I saw the crisscross (十字形) of twisting, turning streets leading to the square. “See, my dear,” father said gently. “There is more than one way to the square. Life is like that. If you can’t get to the place where you want to go by one road, try another.”

Now I understood why I was there. Earlier that day I had begged my mother to do something about the awful lunches that were served at school. But she refused because she could not believe the lunches were as bad as I said.

When I turned to father for help, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he brought me to this high tower to give me a lesson. By the time we reached home, I had a plan.

At school the next day, I secretly poured my lunch soup into a bottle and brought it home. Then I asked our cook to serve it to mother at dinner. The plan worked perfectly. She swallowed one spoonful and sputtered (喷溅出) “The cook must have gone mad!” Quickly I told her what I had done, and Mother stated firmly that she would take up the matter of lunches at school the next day!

In the years that followed, I often remembered the lesson father taught me. I began to work as a fashion designer two years ago. I wouldn’t stop working until I tried every possible means to my goal. Father’s wise words always remind me that there is more than one way to the square.

There’s that old saying: How you do one thing is how you do everything. 【小题1】, it shows in everything that you do, even when playing music.

I recently went to a concert with some other musicians in town (many of whom I was meeting for the first time). 【小题2】, I spent more time in my head thinking about my drumming instead of actually paying attention to what was going on. This time though, I found that I was more attentive and was able to support the other musicians more through my playing.

【小题3】. And I could feel the audience was enjoying the music more too, because the music was no longer about me, it was about all of us connecting through the universal language of music.

Afterwards, the musicians I played with told me they felt like our hearts were connected while playing, and that we were able to achieve a new level of playing together thanks to our collected approach. When playing, we didn’t consider how to show ourselves off. 【小题4】.

I believe that the best musicians in the world have this in common; which is to see past their own values, and to listen to/connect with their audience and fellow musicians. I’ve realized all of this thanks to my practice of being a more compassionate and caring person.

So, I would like to thank everyone on this website for opening your hearts and showing me how to be a more caring person. 【小题5】, but also through my music, and to those who listen.