January 10th marks a year since David Bowie passed away, and I still can't wrap my head around him being gone. His death was so soon and painful that I was at a loss for words and in tears when I found out. Bowie was somehow always relevant, and knowing one of my favorite musicians and weirdos (I say that with love) is now gone still breaks my heart. Not to be cheesy, but I would definitely say David Bowie was one of my heroes. His music always assured me, in some weird and probably cosmic way, that everything would be okay while also let me know I could be a dweeb and still rock it.

Now when I listen to his music, I can't help but feel a little heartbreak mixed in with memories of coming-of-age. As a child, I knew David Bowie as the "other guy" in "Under Pressure." Freddie Mercury has always been one of my favorite singers, and the only dude I cared about in "Under Pressure" was Freddie. When I started high school at the tender age of 14, I started listening to classic rock almost religiously. One of the musicians I became a fan of during that time was David Bowie. I finally put a face and name to the other voice in "Under Pressure" and fell in love. The first song I heard of Bowie's was "Rebel Rebel," and I thought he was the coolest looking human I had ever seen in the music video I saw. He was an electric frontman on stage and a totally phenomenal musician. I saw how weird he was and how so many people loved him and thought, "If he can be weird, I can do it too." From that day on, I have loved David Bowie immensely and never plan to stop.

Here I sit on his birthday, January 8th, feeling heartbroken because he isn't here to celebrate with us. The cruel demon known as cancer ripped him from the world's loving embrace of his many personalities and we will never forgive it for its actions. Because of his untimely death, I am convinced the world turned properly and life went on as usual because Bowie was here. Let's think about it, so many wonderful celebrities and people, in general, have passed on this year and quite a few horrible incidents have happened, too. As goofy as that may sound, I really do think the world is hurting tremendously from Bowie's passing.

The point of all this is really for me to thank him for being the wonderful man that he was. Every persona he embodied was beautiful and he was an artist in every way imaginable. David Bowie was always odd, even as a child, and his massive amount of talent and life in the public eye let all the other weird people of the world feel like they could do what they wanted to do. His existence as a whole still lets odd folks know they matter and have a place in the world! He was a champion for the kids who got made fun of for liking weird things or dressing outside the box, and all of us sincerely appreciated him for that. Even until his last days of his life, David Bowie made beautiful music for his beautiful fans to love, and we're still grieving over "Lazarus." The broadway musical of the same name has made its debut, and I know he would have loved every performance of it. I hate that he won't be here to see it performed, but his spirit will be absolutely present at each performance.

He was a total rockstar, and he always used his "power" for good. His love for his family and fans was always apparent, and I am so thankful I fell in love with his music at a very pivotal time in my life. It's been a year since he's gone and I'll never be the same. So, Mr. David Jones, thank you so much for your years as David Bowie and the music the Starman created for us to love even after you're gone.