Today, we're celebrating something special

Doing What Is Yours to Do
Written By Loryly Libao
A celebratory graphic featuring green number 10 birthday candles in front of a vase of pink flowers and pastries.

Hello Courageous Thrivers,

Tuesday, October 6, was the 10-year anniversary of the TFE Blog! In my very first article where I wrote about letting go of the trap of constant sacrifice, guilt, and the savior mentality—something I've touched on again in pieces like That's Enough, No More. It's still a practice for me and something I keep working on with current clients, too.

 

These cultural patterns run deep, and they don't go away (or stay away) without lots of reps!

This anniversary has me thinking back to 2016. What a year. So much has changed and so much hasn't—particularly in the U.S., where I live.

  • On October 6, when my first blog post went out, Barack Obama was still president, and Hillary Clinton was running against Donald Trump.

  • As you know, Trump ended up winning that election by a very close margin in the electoral college, revealing a very divided America.

  • There was a surge of harassment targeting people of color, immigrants, and Muslims following the election.

  • We witnessed nationwide racial justice protests over police shootings.

  • The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe led what ultimately included over 200 Indigenous groups and others who courageously and peacefully protested the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, leading President Obama to deny access for the planned construction (thought that decision would be overturned by President Trump in 2017).
     

There were some fun milestones too!

  • The world tiger count increased for the first time in 100 years.

  • Simone Biles led the U.S. gymnastics team to Olympic gold in gymnastics

  • The world's largest marine reserve was created near Antarctica

  • We saw a powerful wave of "firsts" for women of color in elections in the U.S. Kamala Harris was elected as California's first South Asian American senator; Catherine Cortez Masto became the first Latina senator in U.S. history; Pramila Jayapal became the first South Asian American woman elected to the House of Representatives; and Ilhan Omar the first Somali-American member of Congress, the first woman of color to represent Minnesota, and one of the first two Muslim-American women elected to Congress

  • We celebrated the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

  • The Chicago Cubs broke a 108-year curse by winning the World Series against the Cleveland Indians in heart-stopping fashion, and

  • And more than 50 years of civil war ended in Colombia.

And believe it or not, in 2016, ChatGPT was only a twinkle in the eyes of the tech giants—it wouldn't arrive until 2020. Most of us regular folks knew little to nothing about AI in 2016. That ship has certainly sailed.

  

Over these 10 years, I've written to you from Los Angeles (3 different homes), Halifax, Virginia, an island in Northern New York, and now Baltimore, Maryland (where I hope to stay for the next 10 years!). One year, I only managed two posts. Other years, I've written almost weekly.  

 

My hope and goal have always been to support you to live into your answer to the question of how you can weave more joy and beauty into your life and also show up for collective liberation and justice in the ways that you're uniquely called to do. 

 

Joy and justice. Not one or the other.

 

Whether you're new here or have been around from the beginning, whether we've worked together, touched base via email, or not at all, your presence matters. 

Whether we were sitting with heavy truths like in those moments when pain lingers and asks something of us, figuring out how to hold contradictions in a world that demands both fast action and deep, slow presence, learning the delicate art of interweaving our lives and communities, or simply pausing to honor the quiet markers of our survival and joy, I'm so grateful for our time together on this journey!

 

Here's to a decade of showing up—imperfectly and not always consistently, but with persistence and a commitment to continue to find hope and take that one next step.

 

Here's to thriving and equity, joy and justice. We refuse to choose!

Sources:

Loryly Libao
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