I’m a 65year old woman who has lived a life full of twists, losses, and unexpected beginnings. I’ve been single, married, divorced, and widowed. I spent years in the corporate world until I became a casualty of layoffs at 64, which pushed me into early retirement. At that age, no one is lining up to hire you, and I felt lost.
I’ve made mistakes and have regrets, but I also know I did a couple of things right. My son is one of them—he grew into a remarkable adult against all odds. And my family, even though I lost them too soon, shaped me in ways I didn’t understand until later. My mom died at 56, my dad at 58, and my brother at 20. Losing everyone so young left me wondering what my purpose was. For a long time, I felt like people were either dying or leaving me, and I carried a lot of “poor me.”
Writing was always something I enjoyed—poems, funny skits for work, little creative things. I even won a writing contest in high school, though I didn’t think much of it at the time. But after being laid off, and feeling incredibly lonely, I sat down one day and wrote my first song: “Living in the Shadows of My Memories.” That moment opened a door I didn’t know existed.
I found a company online that reviewed lyrics and created demos if the writing was strong enough. I sent mine in, expecting nothing. They told me my lyrics were great. I paid for a demo, and when I heard my words turned into music, I felt proud for the first time in a long time. I never heard from any producers, but it was a start.
Since then, I’ve been experimenting with AI programs, learning how to put music to my lyrics, and trying to figure out this new creative world. I’m still learning, still growing, still discovering what I can do.
My biggest dream before I die is simple: to sell one of my songs and hear it fully produced. If that happened, I would finally feel like I found the purpose I’ve been searching for my whole life.
