even when i was younger, as my birthday drew closer, i found myself being reflective on how my last year of life went. what spots were the brightest? what spots were the darkest? what would i do differently with the wisdom that i had at the exact moment of reflection? well, even though i spent most of 30 being locked up due to quarantine, my 31st birthday is less than a month away. unlike most years, i was not feeling as reflective. it might be because so many of the days since last march have felt the same as all of the other days that week or month. it could also be because january was jam packed with the capitol being stormed by domestic terrorists, returning back to work after winter break and the inauguration of biden and harris. i think i almost forgot that february was just around the corner.

recently, i was asked about my ability to not just show up, but celebrate others. i almost thought perhaps i was misunderstanding the question. a dear friend of mine was talking to me about a series of things that did not go my way in 2020. all of them had one thing in common: terrible timing. while there were still many things for me to be grateful for, i started to understand what she meant. there were definitely things i set out to accomplish that did not come to fruition. but for me, that was (and is still) completely separate from showing up and celebrating my loved ones.

instagram clearly heard our conversation because within 24 hours, i stumbled across this quote:

“my own desire to succeed does not prevent me from celebrating others people’s success” -adam j. kurtz

i am not only happy to show up for the success of my loved ones, i celebrate it. so many of the people in my orbit are the hardest workers i know. they are also kind and compassionate beings. if there is an area of my life where i have yet to find success and they have, i celebrate them. once the celebration has subsided, i then turn to them as a resource. maybe there is something they have tried that i have yet to discover.

even if there isn’t, i view a win for a loved one as a win for us all. there are plenty of seats at the table and seeing my tribe do their thing inspires me even more.

do you show up to celebrate other people’s success?

xoxo,

k.tap