I want to write something about Celebration today, or rather the lack of it and how we respond to that feeling of loss that we’re experiencing, by not being able to celebrate these days. Easter came and went and birthdays have been devoid of any jollifications: no excited anticipation around awaiting a special day, whether it’s for you or your loved ones and no secret planning behind the scenes.

Having no celebrations on the horizon leaves me feeling flat. I can feel it in my bones. No parties to dress up for, or weekends with special others to look forward to and buy sweet gifts for. We’re feeling the aching loss of hugs and closeness more than ever.

It feels like the Wicked Witch of the West has put a spell on us, forbidding joyous gatherings and denying us the opportunity to make merry, watch each other smile & laugh raucously and do what we do best… spread the life blood for love & belonging.

I woke this morning with the realisation that the need to celebrate is too strong within us to be ignored and silenced under heavy floorboards, just because we find ourselves in a state of separation due to the pandemic. We need to assert our resolve to find a way to defy the witch, somehow.

I wouldn’t mind betting that humans have been making time to celebrate since they learnt to walk upright – the re-appearance of the full moon, the success of a hunting party, or the finding of a new snug winter cave. It doesn’t really matter. All good things call for celebrations. To celebrate is to acknowledge an achievement, a milestone, a win, an overcoming… a YES in our lives!

So, if we can’t celebrate in the usual ways, what can we do? If wedding and family gatherings, house parties and birthday-bashes are a NO-NO, we’re going to have to find different reasons to celebrate, however small, however ordinary and laugh with each other as we celebrate our small triumphs.

This week I’m celebrating my first solo art exhibition. It’s a huge milestone in my life, a personal triumph and an overcoming of the hag on the broomstick. Yes, it actually happened, with the love and support of a whole host of brilliant souls, cheering me on, phoning and pitching up throughout the week (all masked up), to mark the moment with me. There were no pre-exhibition nibbles, no clinking of glasses, but something better in many way – time given to text and call with un-rushed words of deep encouragement and support.

And tomorrow evening, when the exhibition is all dismantled and packed away, I will celebrate with my love, in a quiet way, with a bottle of wine…like you do.

But, in the weeks ahead I have resolved to make ‘celebrating’ part of the warp and weft of my daily life. I’m going to be on the lookout for any possible excuse to make time to celebrate – and why not. It might be because…

I got outdoors, even in the rain, 3 days in a row with my sketchbook = celebration!
I finished a piece that has been waiting for ages for those finishing touches = celebration!!
I set a vision for my art journey for the next 6 months = celebration!!!
I found the courage to write an article for a magazine = celebration!!!!

I’m putting celebration at the centre of my life, because life is too short not to. I’m going to celebrate with chocolate, a long walk, a kitchen dance, a pot of good coffee, a trip to the beach, tea with a neighbour in their driveway…or a candlelit bath. And I’m going to keep a list of my little wins along the way.

We need the power of celebration, because celebration builds back self-worth, brick by brick and welcomes in a fresh dose of courage for the next stage of the journey. It pushes back weariness and any erosion of our self-belief and creates new and imaginative narratives of hopefulness and optimism…and fuels our creativity.

So, let’s continue to make happy memories and celebrate, come what may!

*Collage piece called, HOPE in Lockdown*

Celebrate Where You Are, Right Now!

Difference, Play & Creativity

In Praise of Daydreamers