Ah yes, celebration! The dictionary’s definition of celebration is as follows:
cel⋅e⋅bra⋅tion [sel-uh-brey-shuhn] –noun
1. an act of celebrating.
Um, well that doesn’t really help us much. As with many words or topics in this world, we all have our own definition. It relies on interpretation and perspective; but also what dash on your life’s timeline you are at. As a young child I remember receiving toys at certain times of the year, not really knowing or caring why. As a teenager I began to appreciate receiving these gifts because I knew why we were celebrating; but because my interests changed so frequently I was never able to appreciate the tangible gifts to their fullest deserving. Once I left home, I learned I didn’t really want these tangible gifts because I felt I didn’t deserve them. Now we’re getting older and realizing it’s not us that matters, it’s those who are giving us these gifts that really matter. It matters to them that you appreciate their thoughtfulness no matter how useless or ugly the gift is. Now we’ll get older and we will be the ones doing most of the giving; and the roles then become reversed. Our whole life will be revolved around giving to others and enjoying their reactions to the useless/ugly items you give them. Finally, we will grow out of that stage and become numb to the idea of giving and receiving, it’s a time we all hope will be spent with loved ones who can give you a gift without involving tangible items or even written words.
I have had the privilege of witnessing births, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, birthdays, and sadly, deaths, in the past year; and I expect to witness all those again as my friends and family reach pivotal points in their lives.
Why don’t we begin with our favorite annual celebration that recognizes the amount of life we’ve lived since our birth…
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