#BeKind21: Celebrate Katie’s Kindness With Me

September 15, 2021
This story took place in United States

Today’s #BeKind21 message is from EGTcreative.

This is my best friend, Katie. When I first moved to New York City, Katie was one of my roommates in a temporary sublet. I had relocated at twenty-years-old from Los Angeles to pursue a career in musical theater. I felt totally lost and was learning how to deal with the constant stream of “no’s” that come with auditioning.

One day I was home alone and sitting on the kitchen floor when Katie came home. As soon as she walked in the room, I burst into tears. She scooped me some ice cream while I rambled on about some dream job I didn’t get. She patiently listened until I was done, and then loudly told me to “get my butt off the kitchen floor.” I did as she told me, and then she said, “Your feelings are valid. This sucks. You get 24 hours to feel those feelings, then after that you are going to stop wallowing, and move forward because you are resilient.”

Katie passed very suddenly last month and the grief feels impossible. This year, every day, I am going to check off one of Katie’s items on her 2020 #BeKind21 Kindness Calendar list she made last year. Her list of simple and profoundly kind tasks encapsulate who she was, and inspires me to be the resilient person she would want me to be.

Your kindness challenge today: Pick something off Katie’s list (you can find those kindness suggestions in the photo above) to work into your day. If you’d like, tag me on Instagram @EmilyGraceTucker to share how you’re honoring Katie’s list so we can celebrate together. And when you are done, treat yourself to ice cream in her honor.

If you are able to donate to her memorial fund, please visit Pitch Her Productions, a non-profit production company formed for the purpose of encouraging, fostering, and promoting the advancement of women in the film industry, including the creation of more roles for women, both in front of and behind the camera.

In Kindness,

Emily Grace Tucker
EGTcreative

P.S. Invite someone to join the challenge: bornthisway.foundation/bekind21.