Celebration

Celebrate!

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Celebrate! 〰️

Last weekend, I went to the annual Teacher of the Year Dinner.  This is a huge dinner for almost 1200 people, held in the largest ballroom available at the Irvine Marriott.  While this has been a yearly event for most of my career, (first in Irvine and then in Tustin) this was the first time after a 2 year COVID break.  The electricity of the event was palpable, everyone was so excited to celebrate.  Celebrate colleagues, celebrate an incredible profession and celebrate the opportunity to simply  gather together.  

As I looked around the room, at all the teachers and colleagues that I knew well, I felt so happy to see them happy, to see them talking, laughing and dancing.  I know what the last few years have been for them, I know so many who have left the profession discouraged and defeated. But this night was for something else… something that felt as important as the work of education.  Celebration.

It got me thinking about the healing power of celebration and I wondered if I am celebrating enough in my life.   Whether the victories are big or small, I think there is power in recognizing not only achievement, but progress in all of our lives.  So often, I check something off my list and then set the next goal or identify the next task, all without stopping to feel the joy.  Stopping to smell the roses,and stopping to recognize the good that we do and the incredible people all around us can be the fuel that keeps us moving. Not only does it create a happy vibration in our bodies (which feels great), celebration can slow us down and help us to seek the good.. 

In the spirit of celebration, here is what I will celebrate today:  I got my exercise minutes in, I wrote this blog, I texted my granddaughter, I laughed with Peter, I helped my mom, I cleaned up my office.  I’m celebrating these small things and that makes me smile deeply.  These are all things that I don’t want to take for granted, they didn’t just happen… I made them happen and they make my life better.  Through this small act, I’m adding a little joy to my day.  

What can you celebrate today?