Celebrate!

“There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate.”
~ Robert Brault

We celebrate the seasons. We have holidays to mark special events. We gather for birthdays and weddings. We toast to graduations, new jobs and promotions. We congratulate each other for milestones met, both momentous and small.

In the past two weeks, I have spent lots of time planning two birthday celebrations: one for my mom, and one for my boys. We are planning the guest list, the food, the cake, the decorations. They are “decade” birthdays, and Mom’s is going to be be a week-long event with family members flying in from other cities. There is both pleasure and stress involved in all this planning, and yet,

a celebration is really all about the people.

We often wait to celebrate until there’s a reason. Why do we think we need a special reason? In what ways can we celebrate the mundane, make it special, just by virtue of the fact that it’s ours?

We can plate our food on the “good” dishes instead of just eating out of the box or the pot.

We can write ourselves little loves notes about our awesomeness… and read them when we’re down.

We can light a candle for a loved one, just because, acknowledging our shared humanity.
We can create little rituals to mark the beginning of a new adventure or the completion of one.

We can decide to greet each new day with a smile instead of a grunt and another snooze.

We can appreciate ourselves and so, dress a little nicer or carry ourselves a little taller.

Sometimes a grand gala is warranted; sometimes just a clapping hands with a cheerful “Yay!”

“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate.
When life is bitter, say thank you and grow.”
~ Geniusquotes.net

…. then, celebrate that growth.

Taking the time to celebrate connects us not only to the wonder and mystery of life, but also to the simplest joys of being alive. All of life is a cycle of beginnings and endings and milestones in between, of choices made and opportunities taken or missed. We break up the relentless, endless march of time and create an opportunity to practice gratitude, reflection and remembrance; we re-connect with what’s most important to us. We remind ourselves to be joyful, coming together in appreciation and communion for a shared moment of delight. We celebrate our good fortune as well as the completion of trying times.

We pause in our busy-ness to appreciate
the beauty of the life we are creating.

“Every choice we make can be a celebration of the world we want.”
~ Frances Moore Lappé and Anna Lappé

~ Invitation ~

Here we are : the last topic in the cycle. We’ve worked hard. We’ve dug deep. Maybe we’ve learned a few things. Maybe we’ve grown, perhaps in ways unexpected.

We’ve circled all the way into the center of the labyrinth and have come back out again.
Now, it’s time to pause and reflect, to celebrate all the work and the Bliss we’ve created.

How will you celebrate?