The more you celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. -Oprah Winfrey
Love and Light:
My birthday is right around the corner. And it’s a date that is emotionally taxing for me. This is because my birthday is another trip around the sun that reminds me of the things I have yet to accomplish. My inner dialogue usually consists of me "should-ing" all over myself. "You should've become this by now," etc. And my birthday lands very close to the date my beloved grandmother departed. It's a time of self-judgment and heart-wrenching nostalgia. I’m pretty sure that you can begin to understand why this time of year is so tough for me.
However, I’ve learned to anticipate my emotional state. I know EXACTLY how I will feel during this time of year. And because of this, I find creative ways to elevate my vibration. Rather than wallowing, I celebrate myself. My definition of a celebration is an activity that connects internal joy with external experience.
Every year, on my birthday, I celebrate! I invite those who mean the most to me to high-vibe experiences that light me up. The key things that bring joy to my life are food, art, nature, music, people, and books. And I incorporate these things into my celebrations. As a result, I’ve gone to the aquarium, wineries, breweries, clubs/dancing, concerts, travels, dining, Disneyland...and the list goes on and on. You can see how my likes correlate to my activities of choice. I feel full when I reflect on my amazing collection of joy-sparking memories.
Celebrating is a yearly birthday tradition I plan to expand to the entire year. I will plan a celebration every time I am feeling down. It's great to honor our emotions, but there comes a time when we have to let go and move on. I am no longer going to participate in merely treating myself; I'm going to celebrate myself!
Celebrating my Grandmother: My grandmother passed away 8 years ago and would have been 91 this year. And recently, a friend posted a beautiful birthday tribute to his 91-year-old grandmother. Rather than feeling the bitterness of not being able to have that experience with my grandmother, I opened my heart and sent love their way for their blessing. This made me feel connected. I celebrated my grandmother by celebrating my friend’s grandmother, and felt so much joy in return!
Your Turn:
Bring the darkness into the light, and its dreary spell will be broken. Thus connecting you back to love. And that loving connection to something greater than yourself is what your human heart desires the most. My simple suggestion is to celebrate the love and light in your life.
When facing intense negative emotions, surround yourself with those you love the most. Negative emotions are dispersed by dowsing them in love. Celebrate yourself, and douse yourself in a loving light. And do it often. You don’t need to wait 365 days for another birthday. Every day can be a celebration if you joyfully acknowledge whatever feels right in your world.
Celebrate other people, especially when they have an experience that you'd love in your own life. This will connect you to that experience and likely attract these things or feelings into your life.
Steps:
1. What specific things bring you joy?
2. What feels joyful to you?
3. Which activities can you participate in (that match the things that bring you joy)?
4. Which people bring you joy and raise your vibration?
Finally, connect the things, feelings, places, and people (that apply to you)...and you have a celebration waiting to happen!!! Hooray!
Choose to surround yourself with joy and throw it around like confetti! And remember to celebrate...always!
Amor y Canela,
Monica
*I dedicate this blog post to my beloved grandmother, Mamalinda. May you dance amongst the stars and live forever in the loving grace of the universe. I miss you, and I love you.
