Happy 2021...Thoughts and Musings

Well, that was a year…or seven or two weeks…who can tell? At times it felt like 2020 was 10 years long; like when I didn’t see my significant other for 10 weeks or when I think of how long it has been since I’ve hugged my friends. Other times it felt as if time was barreling ahead at warp speed- like when it was already time to pay the water bill again but there was no money to do it. By December, I felt like it should only be June-ish. How could my son have already received his first college acceptance when he hasn’t actually stepped foot in the school for his senior year? Time expanded and contracted in strange and inexplicable ways.

So many of my friends have lost loved ones this year- to covid as well as to other causes. Other friends and family members have suffered unspeakable tragedies and hardships reminding us that the world marches on regardless of the circumstances. Social media and the news have told us that we are more divided than ever before, that hate is the dominant sentiment throughout the country, yet….yet…I saw more acts of love, compassion, strength and charity than I can count. I’ve been on the receiving end as well as on the giving end and what it tells me is that deep down, we all just want to take care of our loved ones and friends.

It would be dangerous to wipe the challenges of this year under the rug as we move ahead to 2021- I’m pretty sure that nasty virus will teach us that we better look back and learn from our mistakes. Instead, a deep look back at not only the events of the year, but the varied responses to them- by ourselves as well as others, is called for. So many lessons to learn. Things were sometimes distilled for me, highlighting what I really hold dear, and at other times my brain was left muddled, confused and unsure of the path ahead. I feel like we need a month in between the end of 2020 and the start of 2021 to get the wheels back on the bus before we barrel ahead.

These are the things I know…

1. My kids rule. The extra time spent with them this year has been eye-opening, hysterical, maddening and incredibly awesome.

2. Family and friends are everything.

3. Sometimes you just need to shut up and do what you are told for the greater good

4. Music sustains me- not only financially but spiritually and emotionally and it means the world to me when one of you connects with something I’ve produced.

5. Some people I barely know have given me the greatest gifts this year- offers of help, kind words, funny jokes, booze, laughter and guidance.

6. Rudy is my spirit guide- for better or worse lol. That fuzzy friend has been saving me from the very first day I brought him home.

7. NEW MUSIC AND LOTS OF IT IS COMING IN 2021

So moving ahead to the next day, week, month and year please know that each and everyone of you has been a bright light in this mirky year. I hope that you’ve found some joy in music- mine or that made by others. And that you know that none of you are alone. I’ve had so many laughs during my livestream performances with all of you and even made some new friends. May music keep us close. I wish you all, not just a Happy New Year, but a safe, happy, healthy, enlightening and fulfilling New Year!