Me

I’ve been in has brought something that makes it unique and special. While one relationship might have been all about the wonderful conversations we had, everything we learned and the high level of understanding and compatibility when it came to our perspective on life, another relationship may have had more to do with the physical connection, the kind of thing that sweeps you away on a totally visceral level. Other relationships may have been more about the tenderness, the sweetness of feeling loved, taken care of and protected. . . . Whatever the case may be, no matter how difficult or torturous any of my relationships may have been in the past, I adamantly believe that true love exists. I don’t know if I have already met my true love or if we are both still getting ready for the moment when we will meet. We may already know each other, we may have already been together, or perhaps we still have some steps to take before we come together. Whatever it is, all I can say is that I do know—and I know it, because in my life I ask the world for what I want—that there is a perfect person for me in the universe, and whether it takes me years, months, or days to discover him, or to realize that he is already here.
    I have a very clear image in my mind of what perfect love is. Many people say to me, “But there’s no such thing as perfect love....” I don’t care what they say; I’m a romantic! And I do believe in perfect love. I believe love never hurts. I believe love is trust, peace, calm, confidence; being playful and mischievous. In other words, for me love is freedom . . . and that is what the universe has for me. And with every step I take in my personal growth and on my spiritual path, I am getting closer. Step by step.
    Regardless of what may happen in my love life, I already possess the most beautiful love of all—the love of being a father. Matteo and Valentino have brought such a powerful dimension of light, transparency, and unimaginable beauty into my life. Without knowing it, my two boys have taught me how to go far beyond my limits, and for that I will always be grateful. We often hear about the gratitude that children feel toward their parents, and even though that is very real and important, I think there is a lot to be said about the gratitude that we parents should feel toward our children, because in moments of confusion, anguish, and even joy, they are the ones who show us the way through the very love that we feel for them.
    Everything I do in my life I do for them. I also do it for myself, of course, but ever since they have been in my life, I see everything in a new light. The love I feel for them is so pure, so instinctive, and so real that everything else pales in comparison. My music and my struggle against human trafficking, the importance of maintaining my spiritual north, the importance of being honest with the world . . . absolutely everything has to do with them and giving everything I can give them, and making them proud. What before seemed like an option or an alternative is now a necessity. They are my inspiration, and it is for them that I struggle to do my part to improve, because I don’t want them to inherit the problems that my generation has had to battle. I want them to have the best life possible, an existence that is even more glorious and extraordinary than my own.

BETTER THAN BEFORE
    IN LIFE, EVERYTHING that is good, everything that is really worthwhile, requires sacrifice. It doesn’t matter if it is big or small—the fact is that we must go through countless challenges and very uncomfortable, scary moments that may bring about a great deal of suffering. But at the end of the day, when we come out on the other side, we realize that we are better than we have ever been before. It is like the process of giving birth. They say there is nothing more painful in the world than giving birth to a baby. A woman must face inhuman pain during which she may feel that she can’t take it anymore, that she can’t bear it anymore, that she is going to die. There is a blend of anguish, fear, and dread that something will go wrong. . . . It is an extreme moment. But ultimately she gets through the pain, she survives, and on the other side of it appears the most beautiful gift one can ever receive—the gift of life . . . and from what I have been told, the moment she holds her baby for the very first time, the pain becomes a distant thought, completely irrelevant, in