Degas. The Singer with the Glove (1878)Wikimedia Commons.
“I celebrate myself, and sing myself.”
Walt Whitman
Dancing and singing, music and laughter… these all express the essence of celebration. Do you ever ‘celebrate yourself,’ as the poet Whitman does? What does that even mean?
Celebrating oneself involves acknowledging our own strengths and achievements, recognising and valuing our personal accomplishments and honouring our very existence as an individual, unique and special.
Knowing oneself, through therapy, through others and through life-experience, is a key to feeling more secure in one’s identity, so that then we can learn who we are and gain in self-respect.The importance of coming to value- and to celebrate- our uniqueness, our differences, and even our eccentricities, our ‘weirdness,’ cannot be overstated here.
Happy Woman – Ferdinand Hodler. 1911. Wikioo
“Be faithful to that which exists within yourself.”
André Gide
The fact that we exist at all is miraculous, and it is certainly worth celebrating! Gratitude for the gift of our lives, appreciation of our very existence, is important for all of us.
“The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.”
Thích Nhât Hanh
Gioia Mell. 2015.Heartbeats.Flickr.
“I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.”
Sylvia Plath
- Celebrating getting through stormy times
Of course, there are times when it is not possible to celebrate, when things are tough, when there are loss, illness, distress. It is important not to engage in denial, refusing to face the discomfort and pretending to be ‘fine.’ Similarly, using alcohol to drown the pain is certainly far from the notion of a celebration.
However, when and if we do manage to get through dark times, we can congratulate ourselves on our strength and fortitude during the difficult periods.
Connected to the Stars. Paul Klee.1923. Wikioo.
“It is only in our darkest hours that we may discover the true strength of the brilliant light within ourselves that can never, ever, be dimmed.”
Doe Zantamata
Phoenix-like, energy and strength may emerge from the ashes of adversity, revealing transformation and a kind of rebirth.
Louis Guglielmi – Refugees. 1939. Wikimedia Commons
“We don’t even know how strong we are until we are forced to bring that hidden strength forward. In times of tragedy, of war, of necessity, people do amazing things. The human capacity for survival and renewal is awesome.”
Isabel Allende
Despite the distress that we see in the world, there is still beauty and joy. Noticing it all around us, we learn to feel gratitude for nature’s bounties.
“Exquisite beauty is often hidden
in life’s fragile,
fleeting moments.”
Even during tough times, perhaps we can pause and try to appreciate what we do have in our lives that is good.
People are often inherently stronger than we could possibly imagine. We are born with truly amazing resources and we need to learn to trust and celebrate these in ourselves and others, as we learn to cope with ourselves in a broken world.
“There is a LIGHT in this world. A healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometime lose sight of this force when there is suffering, and too much pain. Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways.”
Richard Attenborough
Storm Cloud – Thomas Thompson. c. 1915. Wikioo
“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”
Haruki Murakami
Summer Heat. Peter Graham Ii.Wikioo.
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”
Albert Camus
After the Thunderstorm. 1879 – Arkhip Ivanovich Kuinji. Wikioo.
“After the rains departed the skies and settled on earth – clear skies; moist brilliant earth – greater clarity returned to life alone with the blue above and made the world below rejoice with the freshness of the recent rain. It left heaven in our souls and a freshness in our hearts.”
Oscar Wilde
Even after a bad year, a bad week or a bad day, we still know that tomorrow will likely arrive, for most of us, giving us another opportunity. It will bring with it the possibilities of moving on with new learning and a determined attitude; there is a fresh chance to make the most of the day ahead, leaving yesterday behind us. This is, indeed, worth celebrating.
- Rewarding the self as a celebration
New York Restaurant . Edward Hopper. Wikimedia Commons
“I want to spend my life with someone and do nice things and go on adventures, read books and have nice food and celebrate things. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in the bedroom like some people who just go to bed and never get out again.”
Tracey Emin
Allowing ourselves to enjoy life when we have the opportunity is part of celebrating our existence and who we are; if we are able, we need to appreciate life to the full. Perhaps we can ‘celebrate’ small things in our lives, and reward ourselves with whatever makes us happy- a glass of wine, a visit to the theatre, cinema, or a gallery.
‘Hip, Hip, Hurrah! Artist Festival at Skagen’, by Peder Severin Krøyer (1888)Wikipedia.
“Celebrations infuse life with passion and purpose. They summon the human spirit.”
Terrence E. Deal
Celebrations can help us feel gladness and joy; they can increase feelings of connectedness and harmony with others, both family and friends. Indeed, they can be a bridge to the wider community, especially when we join in the celebrations that are national, or international, such as a Coronation, or Christmas.
Celebrating important times and accomplishments help to give our lives some meaning. They allow us an opportunity to reflect on our own and others’ milestones in life, to congratulate ourselves and others on achievements, whether big or small.
A celebration is an excuse to ‘eat, drink and be merry,’ to let go, have fun, release emotions and endorphins, dance and sing. All this… and we will be creating memories too!
- True friendship
“Anybody can sympathise with
the sufferings of a friend,
but it requires a very fine nature to sympathise with a friend’s
success.”Fernando Pessoa
A real friend is one who his happy for you when you are happy and can share your joy at good times. Celebrating a friend’s success is a true sign of loyalty; it also reflects an ability to manage any envy about another’s accomplishments.
At times, we might all feel envy of other people; there will be aspects of others, their lives, appearance, possessions, talents, skills, that we might wish we had. These are universal feelings, part of the human condition.
Many people might feel ashamed of their envious feelings; it is not seen as socially acceptable to be envious. Yet envy is linked to admiration and it can actually be inspiring for people to try to achieve something of what they envy for themselves.
Envious feelings can actually be motivating. Seeing what others have and feeling envious may stimulate us and give us the energy and drive to move forward in our own lives.
Destructive, spoiling envy, however, can be dangerous and can threaten any friendship. In order to maintain our own inner peace and happiness, finding ways to manage any destructive envy we might feel is important. The we can genuinely feel glad at a friend’s celebration, and join in the merriment with a true heart.
“What do we lose by another’s good fortune? Let us celebrate with them or strive to emulate them. That should be our desire and determination.”
Sathya Sai Baba
“I feel like our culture is so good at pulling other people down and being so judgmental, but there’s space for all of us to be who we are. There’s space for us to celebrate each other and root for each other and not take each other down.”
Tracee Ellis Ross
- Celebrating diversity…
Diversity matters; recognising this is crucial. Our differences need to be valued, not ignored or denied.
“Share our similarities, celebrate our differences.”
M. Scott Peck.
Those who do not welcome difference will inevitably miss out on the richness of ideas and experience that others have to offer, the new learning from diverse others, and the resulting new ways of thinking.
Our diversity enables creativity, a working together, a blend of contrasting approaches and thoughts.
Canty, Jack. [1910-2002] Expanding Forms. Wikioo.
“In our interconnected world, we must learn to feel enlarged, not threatened, by difference.”
Jonathan Sacks.
- Celebrating nature
Landscape with Stream – Eanger Irving Couse. [1866-1936] Wikioo.
“Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth, are never alone or weary of life.”
Rachel Carson
Appreciating and celebrating the array of diversity around us, the many plants, animals and people, all with different characteristics, contributes to the whole, wondrous picture of the world in which we live.
We can decide to really focus on our surroundings, on the now, and deeply connect with the countryside, the flowers, birdsong, blue skies. The beauty of nature inspires us, feeds the soul, enhances and encourages our joy and creativity.
David Hockney – Path Through Wheat Field, July 2005. Gandalf’s Gallery. Flickr.
“I feel an indescribable ecstasy and delirium in melting, as it were, into the system of being, in identifying myself with the whole of nature…”
Jean Jacques Rosseau
- Impermanence
The Tea Party With The Artist’s Daughter, Lois – Wilson Henry Irvine. c. late 1920s – early 1930s. Wikioo.
“Life is too short not to celebrate nice moments!”
Jurgen Klopp
‘Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die,’ is an old proverb that combines two different Bible verses.
It reminds us of our mortality, our impermanence in this world. Therefore, we need to celebrate when we can and make the most of our time on earth. Whether we celebrate in a simple or more lavish way, what is important is to take some time out, to pause and experience, to notice and enjoy what we do have.
Fete Familiale- The Birthday Party – 1885. John Singer Sargent. Wikioo.
“Celebrate the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
Robert Brault
©Linda Berman
waysofthinking.co.uk 