The Art of Celebration

Through the years I have learned that its the little things that matter. And, what better way to honor our personal milestones than to throw a little celebration in order to break up the monotony. Most of our modern day lives, however exciting we may wish them to be, are full of laborious duties: cleaning house, bathing and feeding kids, grocery shopping, paying bills and working - day in- and day out, year in-and year out.

Yes, we do have the weekends, but again they are mostly filled with chores and routine. And, yes we do have holidays to look forward to, but those are days filled by routine as well. Thanksgiving - eat turkey with extended family; Christmas - open presents and bake sweets; Fourth of July - barbecue, drink beer and watch fireworks, etc. In the end we are all doing pretty much the same thing, which adds to the feeling that our lives are monotonous and homogenized. Human psyches do not like this, as we each have a need to feel special and unique (whether we actually are unique is a whole different blog for a whole different day).

Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to break out of the constant reruns of the day before by celebrating such things as half birthdays, finishing a long project at work or winning a $10 lotto ticket. In order to make these things celebrations you need only to set the mood by being excited, perhaps having some cocktails before dinner or putting on some music and dancing in the living room with a family member.

Our family has also added some random things to celebrate along the way, such as backwards day where you eat breakfast at night and wear pajamas at day (not recommended if a work day). Not only are the unique days important but the way in which a person chooses to celebrate them should also be one-of-a-kind. We have all been to a kids birthday party with pizza and a bounce house. And, we have all received parfum or a tie for Christmas. Why not stir it up for the sake of everybody involved. Take the kids on a day-hike and celebrate a half-birthday at the top of a mountain, celebrate receipt of your tax refund by going to Vegas and betting it all, spend your birthday cooking at a homeless shelter, or stay at home for a black and white movie marathon.

A lifestyle that is rich in diverse experiences where one is always challenging his own routines is a very rewarding lifestyle. I think we all know this but we struggle to make it happen. It doest take effort, but the reward is well worth it. Personally, I am trying to apply this "celebration" theme to my daily life as well by writing, taking piano lessons and maybe even trying my hand at actually mastering photography on this damn expensive camera that's been on auto-mode for more than two years.

Now go forth and party like its a random Tuesday night!