Everyday celebrations
Keep an eye out for moments to celebrate and don't let them be obscured by constant worry or by the tidal wave of daily bad news
Our moodle continues with thoughts on celebration.
When our ancestors lived by the cycle of the seasons and were closer to nature, they celebrated spring and autumn solstices, bringing in the harvest, midsummer - the year was marked by its seasonal changes and what that meant for people’s lives. Although there are folk who celebrate these nowadays, sadly most of these have gone from our lives. We celebrate in a more commercial, superficial way - without meaning.
Like I said yesterday, rather than celebrating we simply say "Ok, what's next?".
The thing is, as you get older, there are fewer big things left to do in life. I've done the marriage, the international travel, the Ph.D., the parenting, the high paying jobs. As I'm not the type to bungee jump off the world's highest bridge or anything else like that, I'm left with the question: what's left to chase after?
My response: Everyday Celebrations
There's a lovely daily meditation in the book "Meditations For Women Who Do Too Much" by Anne Wilson Sheaf for August 28th. Anne shares the everyday things that she celebrated over the course of one week: celebrating a passed friend's life, celebrating with various friends, having a massage, going to an art gallery, a movie, and then completing a long work-based project. She asks: "Isn't this how life is supposed to be? Everything can be a celebration. Celebrations are not just for special occasions."
Her thoughts echo my own. These are the everyday type of celebrations we need more of. My ongoing search for everyday delights is one way of doing this. Actively looking for and noticing them in between the big moments, in the transitions between tasks, between life changes ...
Today, I celebrate the gorgeous colours of these flowers. I’m also celebrating simply having started this project and the fact that I am writing again. I cannot tell you how good it feels.
What small thing could you celebrate today? What's right with your world at the moment? Drop me a comment, if you fancy sharing. Or simply let me know if you are enjoying your moodle so far.
Ah yes, tomorrow. I'll pick another card, but I also have something new to share with you, if I get the logistics of it sorted out in time!
Debs
If you'd like to read more about this idea, Dewitt Jones invites us to see the world through a celebratory lens and suggests asking: What's right with the world? What's here to celebrate?
Meditations For Women Who Do Too Much by Anne Wilson Sheaf
And I celebrate with you..! The little things.. those that catch your eye simply because they’re there and not necessarily because they are a massive achievement or even of outstanding beauty... even the food we eat..! X