Celebrations come in all shapes and sizes.
There are numerous reasons to celebrate throughout the year: birthdays, anniversaries, national holidays, and the myriad of traditional holidays whether religious-based or secular.
I am lucky because I get to celebrate itsy, bitsy, insignificant occasions all the time. Correction: they’re only insignificant to those who aren’t celebration-focused such as myself.
Many years ago, I decided to celebrate even the smallest of victories that come my way:
You get the idea. Let’s face it, most definitions of exciting pale in comparison to that which we observe others boasting about on social media. Reading about a friend’s trip to exotic places or her luxury automobile purchase causes one to think twice about posting a photo of a reluctant tomato plant’s one successful morsel of yumminess. I mean, that’s hardly worth getting all hyped up about, is it?
Actually, yes, it is. Normal day-to-day life occurrences have earned a bad reputation and it’s time they rose to the level of celebration-worthy. If something happens that makes you happy, if it improves the outlook of your day, if it causes you to give yourself a high-five, then throw it the party it deserves. But here’s the kicker: you have to practice being aware of the goodness of the mundane in order to rack up the celebration points.
You can’t continue on your unmerry way, shunning the itsy-bitsy around you, expecting to change your life from droll to dramatic! Nope, you need to change your awareness sensitivity level to hyper-observant before you’ll ever get to the celebratory stage in which I have found myself. Lest you think it’s easy for me to maintain this practice, please know that my life isn’t always grand. Like you, I’ve lived long enough so that along with the good, I’ve experienced a lot of bad that gave me absolutely no reason to smile.
But you see, that’s the point! Because life throws us curve balls and dishes out seemingly unfair portions of yuck, that’s all the more reason to change our celebratory practices!
Life is tough, even for those with an enviable social media status, so let’s do ourselves a favor and add the following to our 2019 New Year’s resolution list:
I will attempt to find at least one reason to celebrate, every day.
I guarantee those reasons will become more obvious the more practiced you get detecting them. Case in point: as you read this In Your Corner, I’ll be celebrating the fact that you didn’t pass over my column and just might have a better 2019 as a result.
So party-on, readers, I’m right there with you!
I am lucky because I get to celebrate itsy, bitsy, insignificant occasions all the time. Correction: they’re only insignificant to those who aren’t celebration-focused such as myself.
Many years ago, I decided to celebrate even the smallest of victories that come my way:
- Enduring a lingering cold but wake up feeling marginally better than the previous day? Now there’s a reason to count one’s blessings.
- Struggling to lift heavy arm weights beyond the ten repetitions done for many months? Finish one more than ten and now you’re closer to the intended goal of twenty. Celebration time!
- A forty-minute commute to and from work only takes thirty-five minutes today? Crack open the bubbly, it’s time to toast one’s good fortune!
You get the idea. Let’s face it, most definitions of exciting pale in comparison to that which we observe others boasting about on social media. Reading about a friend’s trip to exotic places or her luxury automobile purchase causes one to think twice about posting a photo of a reluctant tomato plant’s one successful morsel of yumminess. I mean, that’s hardly worth getting all hyped up about, is it?
Actually, yes, it is. Normal day-to-day life occurrences have earned a bad reputation and it’s time they rose to the level of celebration-worthy. If something happens that makes you happy, if it improves the outlook of your day, if it causes you to give yourself a high-five, then throw it the party it deserves. But here’s the kicker: you have to practice being aware of the goodness of the mundane in order to rack up the celebration points.
You can’t continue on your unmerry way, shunning the itsy-bitsy around you, expecting to change your life from droll to dramatic! Nope, you need to change your awareness sensitivity level to hyper-observant before you’ll ever get to the celebratory stage in which I have found myself. Lest you think it’s easy for me to maintain this practice, please know that my life isn’t always grand. Like you, I’ve lived long enough so that along with the good, I’ve experienced a lot of bad that gave me absolutely no reason to smile.
But you see, that’s the point! Because life throws us curve balls and dishes out seemingly unfair portions of yuck, that’s all the more reason to change our celebratory practices!
Life is tough, even for those with an enviable social media status, so let’s do ourselves a favor and add the following to our 2019 New Year’s resolution list:
I will attempt to find at least one reason to celebrate, every day.
I guarantee those reasons will become more obvious the more practiced you get detecting them. Case in point: as you read this In Your Corner, I’ll be celebrating the fact that you didn’t pass over my column and just might have a better 2019 as a result.
So party-on, readers, I’m right there with you!
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Irene Frances Olson
Author of Requiem for the status quo, a novel that celebrates and encourages family caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s or other dementia. You can find that book HERE. Ms. Olson is a member of AlzAuthors, www.alzauthors.com, a compendium of authors who have all been affected by Alzheimer's disease and other dementia. These authors share their experiences to bring knowledge, comfort and understanding to those on a similar journey. |
