As I sit on my Sarasota balcony in 75-degree sunshine listening to Beachfront Radio, it’s hard not to reflect on where I’ve been in the past year and where I hope to go in 2013.
As I’m sure can be said for all of you, 2012 saw so much change. I moved to Florida, left my good friends in the Conch Republic band (where I was the lead singer) and embarked on a solo career, put out my first CD, played Meeting of the Minds, embraced the Florida lifestyle, and said goodbye to my father. He passed away from cancer on Dec. 9 — a fate that has unfortunately followed so many of the New York Firefighters and other first responders of 911. While this last event certainly had the most impact on me, I think all of these things changed me, mostly for the better.
Chief Dick McGuire of the NYFD.
While I’ve never been one to stick to New Year’s resolutions, here are a few that I am hopeful to embrace in 2013:
- I want to establish a scholarship fund in my father’s name, to help a needy football player with his tuition to St. Anthony’s High School in Long Island. My dad was a football coach there for many years, and he donated his salary each year to pay for a student’s tuition. I’d like to keep that tradition going, so expect to see some fundraisers and tip donations this year.
- After my taste of the trop rock lifestyle in 2012, I’m hungry for more. More gigs, more tours, more collaborations with other trop rockers, another CD, and more purchases from Tommy Bahama.
- Getting more fishing in and spending more time napping on the beach are definitely on my list of priorities for 2013.
- It wouldn’t be a New Year’s resolution without admitting that I want to live healthier. We’ll see how that goes.
Overall, 2012 was a good year. Here’s to making 2013 everything that we all hope it will be! Cheers!
Rich McGuire Music 