Party on!

Nothing reminds us about the passing of time more than watching children grow up. I had the chance to see one of my favorite little guys this weekend in Florence and celebrate his first birthday. I met him in his mamma’s womb and then got to squeeze him for the first time this July when he was still a chubby, drooling, cuddly baby. Five months later and now he’s now a young adult: long, lean, crawling, eating, opinionated, and absolutely not interested in birthday cake but definitely in love with bananas, bagels, and most of all, his mom.

In five months I can’t clearly define what I’ve "accomplished", but he has learned to move, stand, eat solids, sleep through the night, and shake his head no when he is not pleased with what you have to offer him. (In my case I have only hugs, which he is sometimes willing to accept.) 

Celebrating his first birthday made me think back to the first little guy I ever babysat for. I was young...fifteen, I think. He was really young, probably 8 months. Over the years I continued to nanny and watched his family grow. He became a big brother to an adorable little sis and bro. His birthday is at the end of October, which means he is now 21. (So if you’re good at math I’ve just dated myself and concluded that I’m officially old.) He’s probably graduated or graduating from college. A big milestone.

All this calculating and partying got me thinking about how we celebrate. As tiny babies, we applaud specific milestones: crawling, standing, first steps, solid foods, first birthdays, second birthdays, every birthday after. As we get older we throw in graduations, and eventually marriages, purchases (like houses), pregnancies (thus restarting the cycle), and eventually retirement. This is what we expect to celebrate, what we know how to celebrate, what we think we "should" celebrate.

But I’m wondering if we could all take a moment to rethink what has always been in the way we celebrate. I’ve gotten into the habit of asking my clients and group coaching participants to share what they are celebrating in this moment at the start of sessions. I do this to get them thinking about how we can be proud of ourselves without necessarily following the standard path of external validation.

How about celebrating that we took a nap?
That we cleared space in our work wrld to play with friends, kids, family?
How about celebrating walking away from a difficult relationship?
Or asking for a raise?
Or making space for a friend in need?
What about a pat on the back, a round of applause, a bouquet of balloons for simply waking up and choosing to see hope and possibility with the new day?
Or congratulating ourselves for setting a challenging boundary with a coworker, family member, or boss?
For making it far enough in an interview selection even if we don’t get the job?
Or starting our own business? 
And even more so, for choosing to nourish ourselves with healthy food, good company, and physical movement? 

Celebrating doesn’t have to mean adhering to what everyone else wants to celebrate. It can be about honoring how we take care of ourselves so that we can be our best each day, and share that self with others.

Today, another lovely Tuesday, I wonder what you might want to celebrate? Whether it's a silent celebration, a moment of reflection, or a full-on party, you deserve to celebrate the choices you have made. (And not just the natural movement of time and our many trips around the sun.) I'd love to hear not just what you celebrate, but how. 

Sending party vibes and a big balloon your way just for being you, 

Henna 

PS: I'd like an international campaign to start using birthdays to celebrate all the moms out there who birthed us and raised us (dad's too, but maybe like 20% to mom's 80%) on our birthdays. Let's be honest, parents deserve cake more than their child who really hasn't done much other than demand attention for the first years of their life...

PPS: Not my child pictured, but I sure do love him! Hats off to you A + D for a beautiful bambino! 

Oh and: I'm announcing some new schedules, community coaching, and updates next week so stay tuned! (Pronounced in Italian as tune-ED)