On vacation in Maui, I came across an article on Leon Fleisher that I found an inspiring reminder that conflict is opportunity.
A virtuoso classical pianist, Leon was stricken in 1965 by a rare neurological disease that silenced his right hand. For 40 years, he played only with his right. Then, in the late 1990's a combination of botox injections and massage therapy gradually restored dexterity to the pianist's right hand. In 2004, at age 76, Fleisher celebrated his recovery with his first two-handed recording in more than 40 years.
What caught my eye was a quote from an National Public Radio interview with Bob Edwards in 2006. Rather than judging his loss of ability as a limitation, Fleisher described it as an unlooked for opportunity.
"The whole adventure of trying to find an answer to the problem opened up no end of doors to me. I learned conducting, I got further into teaching, and I looked for left hand repertory."
To learn more about Leon, please click here.
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