The Secret of Celebration

Happy Monday – another week awaits! 

 Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?  Mary Oliver

• Appointments
• School Activities
• Meal prep
• Another day at the office
• Bills to Pay
• Laundry

We could go on, each of us adding tidbits to the list of life. Daily tasks and their repetitious rhythms week after week tug at our hearts and dominate our time. Hollywood and social media along with our own private hamster wheel of perfection can become joy robbers and celebration stealers.

When our children were small, we were constantly on the lookout for ways to make them feel special. Shortly after the birth of our first child, Amanda, my mom slipped a slightly wrinkled column  cut from the local paper, onto my kitchen counter. She laid it down, and tapped it gently as she spoke a sentence I will not forget,  “Thought you might want to read this. I wish I had done more of this.” Nothing else was said, but deep down I knew those words carried more weight than I could imagine.

The article, which I still have today, was entitled,  “Don’t Miss the Fun of a Growing Up Son”. The words written and given to me many years ago impacted me greatly as it encouraged this young mom and other parents to love, play with and cherish the wee ones in their care. Ann Landers, the writer of the column spoke to the importance of enjoying your children, not fretting over work that needs to be done and reminding moms and dads the children would not be young forever.

Throughout the years, I purposed to be intentional in my love for the trio of little people in our home. There were days I left the laundry and the dusting go and hoped mysterious cleaning elves would come in my absence as we went to the park, the store, the zoo or the beach.

We told them “I love you” dozens of times each day, I put notes in their school lunches and gave countless hugs before bedtime as we snuggled for stories.    

Birthdays were a big deal  in our home, starting with breakfast served in bed to the guest of honor and ending with a favorite supper menu chosen by the birthday child. Christmas was celebrated the entire month between Thanksgiving and New Years with cookie baking marathons, gift wrapping frenzy fun and secret gifts bought and given. Vacations were anticipated, planned for, loved by all and taken as often as possible. Hubs and I scheduled date nights and anniversary get-a-ways each year. We had been told by a pastor early in our marriage how important it was to nurture and take time for one another- and we gladly did it often.

We celebrated the end  of school and its beginning. We relished TGIF nights, with movies, popcorn scattered  on the basement floor and laughter. Blanket forts, dress ups and sleep overs were sprinkled lavishly into our home throughout the years. I celebrated cherished friendships with my girlfriends as we quilted together , gave cards, surprise gifts and shared phone calls that lasted for hours. We gathered with other couples and families, just doing life together. We cried, we laughed and we dreamed together. Life was rich and woven with the tapestry of days wrapped one around the other.

Somewhere along the way there was a shift in the way I saw life. It was slow, much like a frog in boiling water,  I did not  notice it for a long time. It was not as easy to embrace a life of celebration. I began to view the days through foggier lenses. My attitude shifted from how can I celebrate the people in my life to how can I get through this day/month/year. 

Big challenges intersected our days and celebration took a back seat to survival. We slipped into the what seemed much easier -just putting one foot in front of the other. Instead of doing life with others, we began to just live.

Sparkle and confetti became a distant memory. We forgot to celebrate the big and the small, we neglected  each other and  took life for granted. I wish I could say I had an epiphany, woke up and life was a giant joy party again.

Not.

No.

Definitely not.

I imagine I am not the only one who has been drawn by the siren song of the daily grind and forgotten how to celebrate?

Pretty sure that is not the case.

What is the secret to celebration?  

1. Start again. Dust off your party hat and look for something to celebrate.

Just last week hubs forgot his wallet on his way to work. He is a delivery driver and it is taboo to drive without your license. He snagged me by phone just as I was heading to the gym. I drove home to get the missing wallet and agreed to  meet him at a grocery store parking lot for him to pick it up. I arrived earlier than he, and considered checking Facebook or reading emails while I waited. I had a quick moment to decide -read mindless internet or bless him. I dashed into the store,  picked out a gooey cinnamon donut and met him at his truck with the wallet and a grin. I loved it.It was a moment to celebrate being a part of his life.  I wasn’t sure he would see it that way, but I did.  (p.s. he did… he told me later how much he loved the special donut moment and was blessed I had thought of him with gooey sweet stickiness!)   

2. Stop caring. Stop caring what other people think and how you might look. When was the last time you saw a child care what they looked like as they rolled down a hill or jumped from a swing? Yes, yes, I know we are all grown up now, but seriously, stop caring so much about the things that don’t matter. Stop looking at what “everyone” else is doing. Do what matters to you. Follow your heart.

3. Change your attitude. The attitude of celebrating life is healthy physically, mentally and emotionally. Upbeat people attract other upbeaters. How great is your life already? What can you be thankful for? In the middle of hard places, there can still be treasure. Diamonds grow under pressure. Look for hidden treasure.

4. Appreciate your friends and family.  Go out of your way to tell them they matter, and you love them. They need to hear this from you. Stop taking them for granted. You have them today but tomorrow is not a promise.

5. Rejoice in your growing pains and embrace your shortcomings. We all falter, make mistakes and need to eat humble pie on occasion. Forget comparisons and laugh at yourself. It feels good and when you do it, it gives permission to someone else to do the same.     

 6.Embrace a simpler slower way of living.  We are bombarded daily as we are asked to go faster, get more and buy now. Click here, wait here, go here. Instead, stop, watch a sunrise or sunset- they happen every day, when is the last time you saw one? Smell flowers in your local floral shop or farmers market.  Why not splurge- buy a few to relish in the joy of their color and smell.  Then, look for some unsuspecting souls.. begin to give them away, one at a time. Smile. laugh and notice the eyes of those you see!

7.Dance. Be spontaneous. Jump up and down at how awesome you are and how great  life is – even if it is hard right now, you are still breathing… this alone is enough reason to celebrate. Music is a great mood booster. Shake it baby!

Favorite song in my world right now- I share with you…. It is my favorite toe tapping, smile bringing, spirit lifting song….  enjoy !  

Question-   Share in the comments, let’s start our own celebration!

• What would be possible if you chose celebration as your mantra this week?
• What song might be your theme song ?
• Who or what would you like to celebrate if you could

Blessings  sweet reader friends.  

Nancy