Celebrate Life!

How good are you at celebrating life? See the young woman in the photo? That’s my daughter, Ana, having fun in Central Park while visiting her sister, Brooke, in New York. (Yes – she’s a former cheerleader.)

My girls have taught me a lot about taking risks, going for what you want, and getting the most you can out of life. Those things are important, because let’s face it. Time is fleeting.

In the past four weeks, three people I knew died. The most recent was a cousin only two years older than me. He had cancer, and although they thought treatment might prolong his life five years, he lost the fight a few months after being diagnosed.

People I grew up with have died from brain tumors and various forms of cancer. A college roommate died of cancer. My stepdaughter was only 19 when she was killed in a freak car accident.

So this past week I’ve thought about death, but I’ve also thought a lot about life. You can hardly think about one without the other.

What does it mean to celebrate life?

I know it doesn’t mean working just for the paycheck, or working seven days a week. It doesn’t mean putting off having fun until retirement. It doesn’t mean never taking a risk. And it doesn’t mean giving up on dreams.

Celebrating life means embracing it and the people around you. It means enjoying the sun on your face, smelling the fragrance in the air, exploring new things, and just plain having fun. It also means that when hard times come, trusting that better times are up ahead.

How good are you at celebrating life?

Dawn

2 comments:

  1. I must admit sometimes I feel defeated. My melancholy personality doesnt help much in that area. But the older I get the more I treasure good times and good people. A wonderful blessing to have children like yours who have that attitude.
    Here's celebrating today!

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  2. Hi Jan!

    Good for you for celebrating today!

    Yes, I feel very blessed to have children who are pumped up about life. It's important to surround ourselves with people who have positive attitudes. Enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm and we can feed off from each other.

    I've also found that as I get older, I appreciate times with family and friends even more. Maybe it comes from learning what is most important in life. :-D And being willing to take the time to enjoy those moments. It can be too easy to get caught up in "task" and miss an opportunity.

    Enjoy your day!!! :-D

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