I have an acquaintance who inspires me. He’s battling terminal cancer, and he is making every moment that he can count. In addition to deeply connecting with the people in his life, he is following his passion of music and adventure by traveling when he can to see the concerts that fill him up.

We two stick-in-the-muds, as the Husband and I have become lately, shook things up and took a spontaneous trip to our special honeymoon location because a talented musical artist we admire was performing there. This was inspired partly by following that man’s posts. I said “Let’s do this, why the hell not?” The Husband said it was crazy — it’s a long drive, with LA traffic, we can’t do this — but we did it, and it was one of the best things we did this year.

The artist is a blues singer/guitarist we discovered at the Doheny Blues Festival in May. Samantha Fish, to quote the Husband, is a force of nature. This young girl from Kansas City, MO has the raw talent to succeed, not to mention the work ethic needed to sustain. She put on an amazing show in an intimate, cool little bar venue in Morro Bay on August 8. The Siren is rather new in that small beach town on the Central Coast, and it is definitely a place I’d go to again. Great acoustics, a warm/cool vibe (is that an oxymoron? — no, it’s very warm and welcoming but with a cool vibe that’s not too hipster, but just right).

The girl put on a show that I will always cherish. Soulful, passionate, great vocals, an accomplished guitarist. My favorite of her songs: “Go Home” from her Wild at Heart album. The Husband’s favorite is a song called “Either Way I Lose.”

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Check out Samantha Fish on iTunes or YouTube, or better yet, if she’s performing in a place near you, go! Just do it.