This is 57

Yesterday I turned 57, and I can’t thank you all enough for the heartfelt, kind, funny, and loving messages, texts, and phone calls. Honestly, despite how crappy I felt from Covid, the positive energy healed me if just for a few hours. It was ironically a great birthday, because there were no expectations of me and I got to lay around and do nothing without feeling guilty 😉 I’m sad we didn’t get our annual hike in and missed our Red Rocks concert, but like I told a friend, first world problems. 

As most of you know, this has been an incredibly difficult year for me (or decade), for many of us actually. Between having a front row seat to my Dad’s demise, losing my Uncle and some close friends, the agony this country is going through with all the civil unrest and divisiveness and inequality (are we back in the 1950s?), the pandemic and millions of lives lost, the war in Ukraine, the wildfires, the horrific shootings…..well, all of this has weighed so heavy on my heart, but especially how my Dad has struggled since his stroke more than anyone I’ve ever known. The house is so empty without him and I didn’t get to celebrate with him on my birthday or Father’s Day (an annual tradition), and sadly, his illness is even driving a wedge between my siblings. My grief is real and raw  and I carry it daily. But life goes on and we have to continue to fight for our loved ones, this country, and the world, one day at a time. 

That being said, yesterday, for 24 blissful hours, I was able to finally let go of my burdens, experience true joy, and relish in how incredibly BLESSED I am to have literally hundreds of people who care for me, who’s lives I have touched in some way or they’ve touched mine. That is the purpose of life, my friends. And while 57 sounds old to me-geez when I was young it may as well have been 107-I am a better, wiser, happier soul than ever. In the performing business (or any biz),  people used to tell me it was over for women at 40, but stubborn me proved them wrong. In the last 15 years I’ve learned to play guitar (kind of), composed at least 50 songs and recorded two albums of my originals, (some of which are played on Indie podcasts and have earned me a few bucks), became a music teacher and mentor, started this blog, ran two businesses, took up hiking and practicing yoga (getting more fit than I was at 25), turned into an activist after years of political apathy, discovered I loved being an Auntie to three amazing little humans, met my soulmate ….all of this while battling chronic illness and crippling depression. I couldn’t have done any of this without my team of soul sisters, family, fb friends (some whom I’ve never even met), fellow musicians, my wonderful supportive boyfriend (and even my ex who encouraged and helped with my writing), and of course LOTS of therapy. It’s been quite a journey, different than I dreamed, but still magical-thank you all for being on this wild ride with me.

My advice to you all, live life for you, you may fall, but more than likely you will fly, even if it’s not in the way you imagined. Things that hurt for a bit usually come back around in a good way. Listen to that voice inside you. I mean it! Give back when you can, love with all your might, cry when you have to, surround yourself with like minded people, avoid narcissists at all costs, be kind always (except to narcissists), practice gratitude (it’s not always easy I know), get an education in something you love (not what you “should”), and like my step grandma used to say, “Live long kid, but never get old”.  

Oh, and eat organic food, seriously stop with the junk. 

Love you all with every bit of my heart, thank you 🙏🏻💛🥰🎶 #thisis57

Peace, Love, and Namaste,

Sunnie