One day, an elderly man came to the counter at the SOFA cultural café and asked if he could play the piano at the back of the room. I was delighted and happily allowed it, as long as my other SOFA guests didn't object. It turned out he was a trained pianist from Eastern Europe who, without a permanent job, played background music on weekends in Travemünde to earn some money. He loved playing the piano so much that he was happy to be allowed to play the well-tuned instrument at SOFA from time to time. I always bought him a hot drink on the house and, if necessary, a piece of cake, and I shared the joy of an unannounced concert with the guests. He always played from memory, and I was surprised that he could fulfill every spontaneous request for a specific piece or song. He played my favorite song at the time, "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, which we were rehearsing in the choir, so beautifully. G. has become an example of self-realization for me.
