Today’s the big 2 5 0. Two hundred fifty years since a group of guys who probably didn’t floss or use deoderant enough decided kings were overrated and maybe, just maybe, people could run the show themselves.

I’m writing this from Germany, in a country that’s had a whole lot of governments since our founding, and I still feel it. And while Im watching my kids experience the greatness of all these new places we are seeing together, I’m proud to be an American. Not because we nailed it every time. We didn’t. We’ve stumbled, been flat out wrong, and had chapters nobody wants to reread (side note…we should re-read them). If someone tells you it’s been smooth sailing for two and a half centuries, they’re either lying or trying to sell you a timeshare (a Marriott one).

But that’s the deal with an experiment. You test it, you break it, you fix it, you run it again…and you learn. That’s us. Every generation has pushed to get more people a real seat at the table, usually while somebody yelled that the sky was falling. Spoiler, it wasn’t. It got better.

Here’s the honest truth 250 years has taught me (as I’m very old now 😊). We’re at our best when everybody’s actually included. Not some of us. Not just the folks who think, vote, or pray a certain way. All of us. Every time we’ve widened that circle, we’ve gotten stronger. Every time we’ve tried to shrink it, we’ve paid for it.

So today, somewhere between a schnitzel stand and trying not to stall the Skoda in an empty parking lot with Poppy judging me hard, I’m raising a glass. Not because we’re done. Because we’re not, and that was never the point. The point was to keep showing up, keep welcoming, and keep building something worth another 250.

Happy birthday, America. Still proud to call it home. ❤️

Adam