October has always been my favorite month, not just because it’s my birth month, but because it feels like everything aligns perfectly: the crisp air, golden light, the scent of cinnamon, apple, and pumpkin weaving through every bakery and cafe. New York City thrives wrapped in the warmth of autumn. Halloween’s creeping closer, it’s peak farmers market season and there’s that sense of joyful anticipation in the air.

I prefer to keep my birthday plans simple, understated. I find applying less pressure on having fun actually turns out to be more joyful for me. So I figured the best way to kick off the month would be with one of my favorite things: an outdoor show, surrounded by my best friends. The show promised the kind of electric energy I was craving, and it didn’t disappoint. Kaytranada, Channel Tres, and Sam Gellaitry put together a 4-hour DJ set that was an electric collaborative dance party. The music flowed through the crowd like an unstoppable current, pulling everyone in, bodies moving in rhythm together synced to the pulse of the universe. Losing myself in the music, in the atmosphere, in the joy of being there with the people I love most, I felt grateful for life and another year around the sun.