Celebrate You!

Fam, this week is all about celebrations!

We celebrate things like birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. We can even celebrate our failures: the job we didn’t get, the promotion that went to some else, the school that rejected us. Shoot, we can even celebrate the things we didn’t do. The co-worker we didn’t lay out, the person we didn’t flip off in traffic, the French fries we didn’t eat. Maybe we lost two pounds last month or got a passing grade on a paper or spent some quality time with our children or spouse or your hair grew two inches (slay, Queen!). Whatever you choose to celebrate today, make it sure it’s worth it.

A few things I’m choosing to celebrate are (drum roll, please)…… my acceptance into the Master’s of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing at Old Dominion University! (PRAISE GOD) Y’all, I found out last week and I’m still on cloud 9, like it’s so surreal. I didn’t think I’d get in; you know how those thoughts come? My GRE test scores were low and I didn’t think my writing sample or statement was good enough. Since it is a program that many people apply to, the process is pretty prestigious and the acceptance rate is tight. Soooooo, to be considered as a candidate is AMAZING. And given the amount of hell I went through to even apply view Choas Before This Black Does Grad School, I’d say this is nothing short of a miracle.

I’m also celebrating some failures. I found out a few months ago, my piece that I put so much care and love into didn’t get accepted into a literary magazine I pitched to. Being that my writing is very raw (hence the name Honestly Me), the rejection felt like they were rejecting me as a person, not just my story. And to make things worst I pitched to many literary magazines, journals and newspapers in hopes of my poem, personal essay or short story would be featured and… nothing. The only thing worse than someone rejecting your work via email is them rejecting you by sending nothing at all. And then they say, “don’t send a follow-up email. We will contact you only you if we accept your piece.” Like, hello? Don’t have me waiting on pins and needles, I need to know either way. And I need to know NOW. (You know those commercials? It’s my money and I need it now. Yeah, I’ll get to practicing patience in another post.) But to make it simple, celebrate failures as they bring about growth. Fail forward and learn from it. Don’t just wallow in it. I failed last night: I opted out of having oatmeal for dinner and decided on waffles instead… and the former is the obvious choice! (I decided to have a smoothie for breakfast the next morning, smh). But I didn’t stay there, I made myself see the good in it and spent extra time at the gym, too.

But let’s talk about the small things. I have some goals I’m working toward and some of them won’t come unless I take small strides. Last week, I went to the gym three times, I spent time with friends I haven’t seen in a while and was quick to apologize to a family member I am desperately trying to grow a better relationship with. Friends, I call that progress. Small victories. Tiny wins. And those happen daily and should be happening to you too. So, don’t be shy, find a reason to celebrate today. It’ll make you smile and everyone loves a good party!

Remember those new year’s resolutions you made three months ago? Yeah, those goals will be completed by steady dedication and consistent habits. The point is to celebrate life moments no matter how insignificant they may seem. Small wins bring us to victory. Consistent strides gives us the race. Turn difficult things into habits. Tiny wins keep us pushing toward the mark.

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