Hidden Treasure of Music

There is always something going on in the Naples area. Always. It takes roughly thirty minutes to drive from one end of town to the other maybe longer depending on the time of day and year. Have you ventured out to see what it is that might be right around the corner from you? Of course you're probably bombarded by invites from friends or posts on your news feed about things everyone is going to. Most events you could go to don't even really cost that much. Have you seen something catch you by surprise altogether? One night while walking around 5th Ave I ran into a girl playing violin.
She had her violin case open with a sign that simply stated "college fund". There were several dollars piled up in the open case as passers by tossed in what they felt they could spare. She wore flip flop with a modest relatively youthful attire consisting of shorts and a tee shirt. There were two things really fascinating about this young lady. The first was that she was playing intricate pieces all from memory. The second was her story.

This young ladies name was Emila. She was a very shy person when we approached her during her self designated break. She had been playing violin, if memory serves me right, since she was seven years old. From what I gathered she and her family, the only family she spoke of was her mother, immigrated here. Her mother fell on hard times and Emila dropped out of school to take care of her. She doesn't have much in the way of material possessions but what she does have makes up for anything any millionaire would dream of having. Despite her shyness, her introverted personality she got out on the street to play her beautiful melodies for pocket change so she could put herself through school. Mind you the city of Naples frowns upon the act known as busking which is essentially entertaining by one means or another on the street for money.

I've got to tell you something. The skill and passion in which she plays that violin could rival anything you hear at the Philharmonic any night of the week. Her story is one that has the potential to inspire the masses on several different levels. And yet she is found most frequently standing on a sidewalk playing for pennies. She plays for her future. How many of us can say that?

The next time our paths cross we will get footage or audio of her for all of you to take a listen. Until then keep an eye or ear out for something you may not have expected. Stop and appreciate it even if it is for a brief moment then toss anything you can spare their way. It doesn't matter if it is a few bucks or contact that you think they could benefit from. People like this give to everyone and ask for little if not anything in return. She is a blessing in disguise and you could be too.