Watch Liu Wei - Armless Pianist - on China's Got Talent

This young man inspired me so much I had to share his story with you. Watch Lui Wei's perfect performance of "Marriage D'amour" on China's Got Talent 8/8/2010.



An elementary ed major had an assignment designed to give aspiring teachers an appreciation for a child's difficulty with fine motor skills. Her task was to tie a length of string into a bow using only her feet. I witnessed her success but couldn't tie a bow myself. Now, looking at those same feet, I can't imagine playing the piano with them. Why, I can't imagine teaching myself to play the piano with my hands.

Lui Wei, 23, who lost his arms in an electrical accident at age ten, taught himself to play the piano after a teacher told him he'd never succeed. But Lui Wei didn't even begin playing until he was nineteen. (One site reported he started playing at eighteen.) One of the judges asks about abrasions and cramping. Can you imagine the pain in his back and neck from sitting in that position? The pain of flexing his toes over and over, hitting the wrong keys, stretching for the right ones? It's mind boggling. This incredibly brave, determined, talented young man performs the seemingly impossible, yet makes it possible.

On her blog, Reality Rocks, Lyndsey Parker offered a somewhat better translation of Lui Wei's closing remarks. "For people like me, there were only two options. One was to abandon all dreams, which would lead to a quick, hopeless death. The other was to struggle without arms to live an outstanding life."

I'm grateful Lui chose the second one.

Beginning today, let us practice our craft like never before. Let us no longer squander our writing time with distractions. Let us not be deterred from pressing on toward our goals. May our stories inspire others. May each one of us live a wonderful life.

~Roxanne Sherwood