A Discarded CD Showed Me the Sea of Brazil - The Day I Discovered "The Girl from Ipanema" - July 23, 2026 (Thu) R8

Today, I listened to The Girl from Ipanema, a song from a CD that had been left in the rehabilitation room and was about to be thrown away.

The case simply said "Guitar," so I expected passionate and energetic guitar music.

Instead, what I heard was surprisingly gentle and peaceful.

The rhythm flowed like quiet waves rolling onto the shore and then drifting back to the sea.

As I listened, I found myself wondering, "What is Ipanema?"

I learned that it is a beautiful seaside district in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The song was inspired by the sight of a young woman walking along that beach, and it later became one of the world's most famous bossa nova classics.

I have never been to Brazil.

Even so, as I listened to the music, I could almost see the blue ocean, the white sandy beach, the gentle breeze, and time passing slowly.

Once again, I realized that music has the power to take our hearts to places we have never visited.

Many years ago, I played the guitar for a short time.

However, after becoming an acupuncturist, one of my teachers advised me to stop playing stringed instruments because the sensitivity of my fingertips was too important for my work.

In order to continue both of my professions - as an English teacher and an acupuncturist - I decided to give up the guitar.

Today, I still enjoy playing a little piano and the Taishogoto, a traditional Japanese string instrument.

Whenever I hear the gentle sound of a guitar, it brings back memories of those days.

Sometimes I wonder if I would have tried to play this beautiful song had I continued with the guitar.

In the rehabilitation room, I happened to discover a CD that was about to be discarded.

That single song carried my imagination all the way to the distant beaches of Brazil and also brought back memories of my younger self.

Music can show us landscapes that are far beyond our eyes.

That is why, whenever I discover a new piece of music, I feel as though I am beginning another journey to a place I have never known.

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