How Motherhood Changed My Life

After a long weekend of running around and making lasting memories, I now sit down to write my second blog post. We have been invited to do a show at the Sammons Center and for the first time I have been asked to provide anecdotes and fun facts about myself before a show. I was surprised at this as no venue has ever asked for anything like this.

The rapid nature in which my band Sunny & The Heat Rays has been growing, combined with my own busy personal life as a mother has afforded me little time to really sit down and think of certain things. I'm very grateful to the Sammons Center for asking these kinds of questions and allowing me to really sit down and think about who I am, who I always will be, and who I have become through this exciting journey.

Anyhow, lets get to what this blog post is about. One of the things I will be submitting to the Sammons Center is this little excerpt that I wrote about my journey into motherhood.

Motherhood gave me the confidence to try something completely new in my life. I was struggling immensely with postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety and I needed an outlet. I found the Dallas Swing Dance Society and I went to my very first dance at the Sammons Center. It had been years since I enjoyed myself and I found the swing dance scene that way. I saw a live jazz band for the first time swinging at the Sons of Hermann Hall and from there it was over. I had to find a way to sing jazz so I jumped head first into the scene and I found a mentor.  With the help of this dear friend and the support of the Deep Ellum musical community, I found a band and I’ve been ripping and running since.

As cliche as it sounds motherhood has been a tremendous journey for me. As it is for everyone of course. I'm a single mother and I have had heaps of help from my mother who I recognize as a saint.

Despite the support from my mother it has been very difficult of course. It's not the natural way and it's not the easiest way to go through motherhood.

Despite these dreary thoughts, my child is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I have been blessed with the rare opportunity to experience love in its most pure form through the eyes and the little hugs of my child. For this reason alone I am wealthy beyond measure. Let alone the confidence that I was afforded by the mental shock and awe of becoming a single mother at the age of 23.

That's all for now,

-Sunny Doll