Last night I paused to celebrate. There was nothing monumental. It was a small group, celebrating life, friendship, and the sense of things to come. The setting was casual, funky, and fun. As we met in an eclectic store with a café and tapas options, time, chaos, and uncertainty went for a walk. As I reflect on the morning after, I realize that I do not do this often enough. In the course of our conversation, I was reminded of the following.
Hope lives and grows in every positive experience. Yes, the big stuff is often what we remember. Yet it is the small stuff that feeds our hearts and minds, giving us the energy within to face the challenges one confronts everyday.
There are no excuses for not celebrating! Celebrating is a choice we are free to make and act on at any time and in any place. Celebrating starts with a state of mind that is shared with others. It is not defined by what one does. It is an expression that is shared with and by others.
There form of celebrating does not define the reason and experience. I look at last night, as simple and fun as it was, and see friendships that are deeper and more resilient.
As I look forward to today, I want to carry the following suggestions with me.
Always be on the lookout for reasons and excuses to celebrate. It could be in your life or mine, who cares! Any and everyone can see and encourage others to celebrate. It is a way of finding and nurturing the good in Life.
Prioritize celebrating. One can use the good to encourage hope and the pursuit of more good. Celebrating can be a trigger and a catalyst.
Recognize good in its many forms. Compassion and charity. Spontaneous actions without thought of recognition or reward. Each act of good moves our hearts to a better place. It triggered the psalmist to say; “Come, let’s shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!” (Psalm 95.1)
