Yesterday was Julia’s would be 33rd birthday, October 25th.
For those that don’t know, my sister Julia was killed in a drunk driving accident July 7th, 2015.
She had a tattoo on her foot of the Robyn lyrics “I keep dancing on my own”. A mantra she chose to live by after she pulled through some really tough years in her life.
Naturally, after Julia died we all (25 of us) got “I keep dancing” tattooed on our bodies somewhere. Since she died, Robyn’s music has been a solace for us and a reminder to keep dancing even though our bodies and souls feel so tired from yet another year without Julia.
The ink we all wear together reminds us that we did (and will continue to) dance out of darkness.
Dancing through pain doesn’t mean ignoring it or slapping on a joy bandaid. The very act of dancing requires putting everything out in the open, being vulnerable, and acknowledging every part of you that hurts as well celebrating the very act of being alive. Julia taught us this…and so did Robyn.
Today, October 26th, Robyn came out with her long awaited album, Honey.
The date coinciding with Julia’s birthday is not lost on us.
Robyn’s album comes out after 8 years of a deep, dark period in her own life. More on this here.
Her album and the tracks “Missing U”, “Because it’s in the music” (lyrics below) and “Honey” especially reflect on what it means to dance out of darkness. And for those of us who know exactly what that feels like, this album seems to be written just for us and will no doubt usher in a new phase of our own healing.
Happy album release day, Robyn. We can’t express how much you and your music mean to us. Thank you for giving us music we can dance to, feel to and heal to.
Happy birthday Jules. we’’ll keep dancing for ya…and for us.
We know you’re right alongside us, donning your sassy grin and booty shake.
Because in dancing, “the residue” of you is still so sweet.