Preface of Travel Lifestyle Magazine

If you can’t sing, just dance

One summer in the 19th century, in a courtyard in the small British town of Durham, Ruth’s family dance was going on enthusiastically. This day was Ruth's 28th birthday. She was dazzling in her costume and her graceful dancing won everyone's admiration.

While people were immersed in this warm atmosphere, an accident suddenly happened. Ruth fell to the ground while doing a difficult spin. The dance stopped abruptly. In the hospital, after an emergency consultation, the doctor announced the sad news to Ruth and her relatives and friends: she was suffering from an extremely rare neurological disease, and all the nerves in her body would slowly lose function. Medications can only slow down the progression of the disease.

She will no longer be able to stand up, no longer be able to dance beautifully, and will eventually be paralyzed until one day her heart stops beating. Yeah, it's all pretty brutal. She is the best teacher at the dance school in the small town. She loves dancing and the passionate feeling at the dance. A family dance is held every year on her birthday, but this time it became the last performance in her life. She began a long recuperation at home. A year passed in the blink of an eye, and people thought that Ruth would never hold a dance party like in previous years, but just the day before, they all received invitations from Ruth, asking them to wear the most gorgeous clothes and come with the most exciting dance moves. .

Ruth smiled and said to everyone behind the piano: "Although I can't dance, I can still play the piano for you. I am equally happy to appreciate your dancing! You can dance as much as you want. It's worthy of my piano sound!" Beautiful music flowed from her fingers like clear river water, and people were intoxicated by the feeling. This was an unforgettable dance, with Ruth's delicate fingers jumping nimbly on the black and white keyboard, just like her graceful dancing back then.

In this year, Ruth's condition worsened and she could no longer move her body except her head. People were very sad to hear the news, knowing that her beautiful piano sound had become extinct. At the dance of Ruth's 30th birthday, she showed her singing voice to people for the first time. As she said, if you can't play the piano, just sing for everyone!

In the four months of that dance Later, Ruth also lost her voice. People were silent, wondering how Ruth would face life after losing her singing voice. But on the eve of her 31st birthday, people received her invitations as usual. That day, many people came, the courtyard was full, and the outside walls were also crowded. They were all kind-hearted people from the small town, and they came to bless Ruth. The music was still there, the dancing was still there, and Ruth was lying on a recliner. Only her eyes could still blink with difficulty, and only her heart could still beat passionately. People saw the smile, the warmth, and the implicit love for life in her eyes!

Ruth never crossed the 31-year-old threshold. On her tombstone, there is a passage like this:

"If you can't dance, just play the piano. If you can't play the piano, just sing. If you can't sing, just listen. Let your heart jump happily in love, and your heartbeat will stop." , let the soul continue to dance between heaven and earth!"

It is said that this is the British favorite epitaph.