Think8 Women

I love celebrating.

And Lords knows at this time of year we need reasons to celebrate.

It’s cold and dour. Yards are bleakly frost hazed with a long winter looming. Every newscast makes sure we are wary about the world of ill-intentions.

But I was born to celebrate.

To embrace life. To hug the amazing people who swirl through my days.  To dance.

I celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, births, first tooth in, first tooth out, promotions, dumping bad lovers, new haircuts. And I manage to make a big deal of each one of them.

Today is Thanksgiving in the country below us, my former home. My mother traveled over the mountains in Colorado to spend the week with my sister and they are cooking enough pumpkin pies to last for a month.

Thanksgiving is a really big deal for Americans, although I have a sneaking suspicion that Black Friday will soon replace this celebration as the main event down there.

But the topper of all celebrations for me is Christmas. I love unwrapping delicate ornaments, wrestling ribbons over taped packages, breathing pungent forest smells still clinging to branches, carols we know by heart, everyone in the kitchen stirring, peeling, laughing, babies underfoot.

And I’m an equal opportunity celebrator. I celebrate Hanukah with my husband’s family with the same joy and the same hugging and the food, oh my, even more food, this year with babies underfoot.

My friends who celebrate Diwali or Ramadan tell me the food is every bit as scrumptious with cherished rituals that acquire more meaning every year.

Have you ever been to a Potlatch celebration? I would love to be invited. That’s a whole week of celebrating.

Perhaps I should form a club for those of us who are die-hard celebrators.

Club Celebrate.

First order of business: we need a larger scope of celebratory days.  Feel free to throw your own suggestions in the ring.

Here are my top six:

1. FCF DAY — Finally Cleaned Fridge Day. This should be a once-a month celebration, but is more like quarterly.  Still worthy of an Instagram and certainly a post on Facebook saying, Bring food– my fridge is now sparkling clean –but bare.

2. FBS DAY—Filed Bank Statement Day. If I knew there was a party waiting when I finished this chunky monkey of filing, I would certainly do it more often. But it leaves all those discarded documents to shred. That’s it! A shredding party. Bring your own piles, I’ll provide shredder, movie and munchies.

3. FMS DAY– Found Missing Socks Day. This might be a once every seven years celebration. I don’t think it’s possible to find all the MIA socks, but even one reunited pair is at least worthy of a double chocolate mocha in front of the fire– socks united and on my feet.

4. NRH DAY—New Razor Head Day. How many times when shaving my legs do I think I need to change that dull blade– then promptly forget. Make this a red-letter day. The invitation would go something like, I’ll bring wine– you bring band-aids.

5. CCID Day—Cleaned Closets Including Drawer Day. This one could include a guided tour. Like an art vernissage. Come and gasp at my closets and drawers–  leave with extra hangers!

6. FTDL DAY—Finished To-Do List Day. Now if this list was actually finished in one day, I would throw a wild all night party and you would all be invited. We could burn my list and howl at the moon. A rite of passage.  Sigh. This will end up on my bucket list.

Turns out, there are endless opportunities to celebrate.  Everyday something is important enough to at least do my happy dance in the kitchen.

Oh… and my lovely friend who is in the hospital with the brain tumors?  Three weeks ago there were several on both sides. Now there is only one, on one side.

She believes in healing. She is going home today.

I will be there to celebrate with her.

Want to join my club?

Nancy