Congratulations
She congratulates first. On what exactly? I don’t ask. The elements of success are never clear. The pattern seems to be: work, work, hard work, harder work, luck. This is the pattern when you look at it from a distance. On a closer look, it becomes: work, failure, work, failure, work. Then possibly luck, after many reps. They congratulate you only when you get lucky, never before.
She congratulates me first on the job offer I received. Then, a week later, she congratulates again when I accept the offer. The same thing happens when you propose a woman. And she says yes. People congratulate. It’s a simple word or phrase which carries a complex message.
“I know how tough it is to find a match, be it a romantic or a pragmatic relationship. It takes failed attempts, cases when it almost works, promising first weeks that turn out awkward. You’re trying to make it work, but it’s an uphill walk.”
Then it starts, the wedding or the first day in the office. The pattern seems to be work, work, joy, work, work. You count your blessings and your wounds. Sometimes, there’s a reason to celebrate. Nobody congratulates.
