Celebrations

2018 like most years went by too quickly. Fortunately it was a mostly good and positive year filled with many achievements, successes, and milestones. Yet, somehow the end of the year hit me harder than most. Instead of the usual vague sense of “Where did the year go?”, I felt a deep sense of regret.

2018 was the first full year of HWE Stationery and our little dream grew faster than I expected, a reason to celebrate to be sure. 2018 was also the year with our first wedding anniversary, another happy occasion to celebrate. There were many other celebratory events during the year like birthdays, small personal victories, achievements made by the kids and other family members. Yet, somehow very few celebrations were held. Our anniversary for example, happened without much fanfare, and was celebrated months late.  Those lost opportunities to slow down and celebrate are what I regretted at the end of the year. All those bits of joy slipped through my fingers. Why? Because I was too busy? That hardly seems like a good excuse.

Lately, I have been reading my favorite blogs and posts of their resolutions and goals for 2019. So many of them are resolving to be more mindful, more present, and to live in the moment. That is a honorable, even enviable goal, however that is something I know I can’t handle right now. I want to…. truly I do…. I would love to slow down, and promise to be present in each moment. But if I am honest with myself, I know I won’t, and saying it to myself is only setting me up for failure. I am a passionate full time teacher, a hands on mother, and I co-own a business. To be honest, most days feel like a struggle to get through as I multitask my way from morning till night. However, before you feel bad for the people in my life, I do promise there are days when my kids get my full attention. There are even days when Joe gets all my attention as well. Those days however, feel too few and far between. Of course, on those wonderful days, I am always falling behind on something.

So yes, being more mindful and present in each day is an honorable and wonderful goal. I just can’t imagine doing that right now. So instead, I am promising to hold one celebration a month. I am promising to keep a bottle of champagne in the fridge, so every month I can celebrate a birthday, a success with a student at school, an achievement for the business, and most importantly I can celebrate and share little moments with the people I love. And, I will hold these monthly celebrations because I know I need to take the time to slow down and enjoy life’s little gifts.