Words, or to be specific, a word.
I haven't ever gone for the choose a word for the year idea. Not really ever wanted to narrow my life to a single concept. And what if I chose a word and it so wasn't me for the year? Choose 'brave' and be the biggest coward ever at leaving my comfort zone, choose 'create' and then the only thing I create is a mess that can't tidy. choose 'home' and spend A LOT of time making the place not home because for that year I would feel obliged to keep the house tidy enough to look like other people's homes.
No, I never wanted to be constrained. Until now. This Christmas was beautiful, and I sat taking the decorations down on Sunday and thinking what a perfect celebration it had been. Not BIG, not fancy (we had no buck's fizz or champagne truffles) not too much or too little, but a simple and warm celebration. I had my Mum and Dad at my house for Christmas dinner for the FIRST TIME EVER!!! and the people I love and care about most were with me all the way (including, for once, all my blogmates. I did actually manage to capture my Christmas on my very own blog!)
And it occurred to me, as I wiped a slow soft tear of sadness at a season past away, that I needn't stop celebrating; indeed, my life is a celebration; of me, of my family, of God's great and uncountable gifts to me, and I thought how lovely it would be to celebrate life all the time; not just at high days and holidays, but at any day. It's Monday? Let's celebrate the bins being emptied with a decent cup of tea. Friday night? Let's celebrate with a sad film and a bottle of cider. Thursday afternoon about 2pm when the weekend is still a long way away? Let's celebrate by changing the computer wallpaper for a picture of somewhere majestic, or meaningful, or something furry.
So my word of the year is chosen. Chose itself, I rather think. This year my word is CELEBRATE.
I will celebrate the things I can do now that I couldn't do before. I will celebrate the time I spend at school because (plans allowing) I might not be there forever. I will celebrate the health of everyone I know, and the illness of quite a few as well, because sometimes you need a period of illness to appreciate feeling better. I will celebrate friends, both real and virtual, and the time I can spend with them. I will celebrate family both nuclear (they blow the socks of me when I think about them!) and extended. I will celebrate losing weight and not losing weight, spending and not spending. I will celebrate life.
And because celebrations always go better with company, I hope you will celebrate with me. What part of your life would you celebrate, if I popped round with a bottle of cooled lemonade?
 |
| image from here |
No, I never wanted to be constrained. Until now. This Christmas was beautiful, and I sat taking the decorations down on Sunday and thinking what a perfect celebration it had been. Not BIG, not fancy (we had no buck's fizz or champagne truffles) not too much or too little, but a simple and warm celebration. I had my Mum and Dad at my house for Christmas dinner for the FIRST TIME EVER!!! and the people I love and care about most were with me all the way (including, for once, all my blogmates. I did actually manage to capture my Christmas on my very own blog!)
And it occurred to me, as I wiped a slow soft tear of sadness at a season past away, that I needn't stop celebrating; indeed, my life is a celebration; of me, of my family, of God's great and uncountable gifts to me, and I thought how lovely it would be to celebrate life all the time; not just at high days and holidays, but at any day. It's Monday? Let's celebrate the bins being emptied with a decent cup of tea. Friday night? Let's celebrate with a sad film and a bottle of cider. Thursday afternoon about 2pm when the weekend is still a long way away? Let's celebrate by changing the computer wallpaper for a picture of somewhere majestic, or meaningful, or something furry.
 |
| from here |
I will celebrate the things I can do now that I couldn't do before. I will celebrate the time I spend at school because (plans allowing) I might not be there forever. I will celebrate the health of everyone I know, and the illness of quite a few as well, because sometimes you need a period of illness to appreciate feeling better. I will celebrate friends, both real and virtual, and the time I can spend with them. I will celebrate family both nuclear (they blow the socks of me when I think about them!) and extended. I will celebrate losing weight and not losing weight, spending and not spending. I will celebrate life.
And because celebrations always go better with company, I hope you will celebrate with me. What part of your life would you celebrate, if I popped round with a bottle of cooled lemonade?
Like you, I am not sure I'd like to be bound by one single word for a whole year. If I had to choose one, I think it would be FOCUSSED. But I like CELEBRATE, it's very positive. If you popped round with a bottle I would celebrate my loved ones and the fact that life is good at the moment.
ReplyDeleteLife IS good! That's a really lovely thing to be able to say.
DeleteI think that Celebrate is a great way to celebrate the year and I celebrate you for celebrating! Celebrate!!! xx
ReplyDeleteI celebrate you for celebrating me for celebrating!
DeleteI think Celebrate is a brilliant word to choose for the year, as you say, there's always something to celebrate isn't there? If you popped round with a bottle of cooled lemonade I'd add a drop of wine and celebrate bloggy friendships. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteIf you've got the wine, I might leave out the lemonade.... although, strangely, I have grown sadly fond of cheap red wine and (of all things) coke; a little like a poor man's sangria!
DeleteFab choice of word. I'd celebrate having cooled lemonade as warm lemonade - Grrrrrrr. Celebrate the little things that get lost in the chaos of living your life. It's the little things we should celebrate more so that's my little addition!
ReplyDeleteTesco; Every little helps or Kitty Kallen; Little things mean a lot.... if I'm being really deep, it should be Mother Theresa; "Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with love"
DeleteIt is the little things that I seek to celebrate.... thanks for your comment!
Celebrate is a great word to pick for the new year. I hope you have a good one xx
ReplyDeleteAnd you as well! 2015 looks like being a good growing year, so I'll be over to visit you again. Thanks for commenting!
DeleteA great view to have on life I reckon. Celebrate all we can whilst we can.
ReplyDeleteLisa x
I probably should have added "and party on, dude!"
Delete