The neglected art of celebration🎉
As half of the United States kicks off its summer and the other half winds down the school year, there is a temptation to carry on like it’s "business as usual". It is important to mark the end and acknowledge a new beginning to allow for closure, learning, and any grief that exists beneath the surface (even if it feels a little inconvenient to do so).
I am not a natural celebrator. My husband is the one who turns to me and says, “We should celebrate!”
Whether it’s going out to dinner because my son got Most Improved tennis player (#momflex) or making fancy cocktails to celebrate my Instagram account reaching 150K followers (#influencerflex), this man of mine notices and commemorates things. Without him, I would just live in a perpetual feeling of “What’s next?”.
As I work to strengthen my celebratory muscle, I often remind myself that there are an infinite number of moments worthy of being celebrated, just as there are countless ways to do the celebrating.
We don’t have to wait for huge events or large chunks of time or massive budgets. It can be as simple as making banana splits on the last day of school or eating dinner together outside on the first day of summer.
The important thing is to pause for a moment to celebrate the ordinary passing of a school year and the work that has been done. (Notice that this includes no reference to grades or academic performance!) In that space, we can also make room for the simultaneous sadness of what has ended and what we will miss.
Celebratory Ideas:
Mark summer with something special like Friday night walks to the local ice cream stand.
Plan a day to get snow cones, then drive around to test out all of the swings at the local parks and vote on which ones are the best.
Find pictures of you at your children’s ages and try to incorporate a special food from your own childhood to share together.
Choose a new living plant/flower as a centerpiece.
Work together to choose music for a Summer Playlist, like this one that my friend Jill makes for each annual season.
Grill hot dogs and hamburgers and turn on the sprinkler like it’s the 80s!
Celebration is the dopamine hit we need to keep going.
Your homework this week is to choose a way to celebrate in a manner that feels true to you and your family. Don’t let it be just one more thing added to your list! Make it a holy pause to look around and feel that foreign feeling of contentment.
Speaking of not adding more things to your list, hold tight! Next week, we are talking about the magical gift of boredom!
And remember, the work YOU do is worth celebrating, too. You are in this space, continuing to learn and grow so you can show up as the parent you want to be. WELL DONE. I am proud of you!
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