Don’t Quit, Keep Playing

Wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted¹ a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle² to greet her.

Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked “NO ADMITTANCE.” When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.

Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights³ focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the key- board, innocently picking out Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy’s ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.”

Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass⁴ part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice⁵ transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was mesmerized⁶.

That’s the way it is in life. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren’t exactly graceful⁷ flowing music. But when we trust in the hands of a Greater Power, our life’s work truly can be beautiful.

Next time you set out to accomplish great feats⁸, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.”

为了让儿子能在钢琴方面有长足的进步，一位母亲带着儿子去听帕德瑞夫斯基的音乐会。待她们坐定之后，那位母亲看到一位熟人，就穿过走道过去跟朋友打招呼。

小男孩好不容易有机会欣赏音乐厅的宏伟，他站了起来，并慢慢地摸索到了一扇门旁边，上面写着“禁止入内”。大厅里的灯暗了下来，音乐会马上就要开始了。那位母亲回到座位，却发现自己的孩子不见了。

这时候，幕布徐徐拉开，大厅里的聚光灯都集中到了舞台上的士坦威钢琴上。而让母亲吃惊的是，她的儿子竟然坐在钢琴面前，自顾自地弹着《闪烁，闪烁，小星星》。

这时候，著名的钢琴大师走上台，并且迅速地走到钢琴旁边，并在男孩的耳边轻声说道：“孩子，别停下，继续弹。”

帕德瑞夫斯基俯下身去，用左手在键盘上弹奏低音部分。然后，他的右手绕过男孩的身后，弹奏出优美的伴奏。这位年长的钢琴大师和年幼的初学者一起，将原本紧张的气氛变成了一种全新的体验。全场的观众都听得入迷了。

其实，生活也是如此。我们所取得的成就不一定要多么显著。我们尽力了，结果却不一定能演奏出优美流畅的音乐。但是，如果我们相信大师的力量，我们的生活就会变的非常美丽。

当你准备伟大作品的时候，仔细地侧耳倾听，你会听到大师的声音，在你耳边轻声说道：“别停下，继续弹！”