There I was, enjoying the sunshine streaming through the window of my favourite café, when my friend said “I noticed that your posts and your retreats are all about living from a place of gratitude, joy, beauty…you do know there is more than that, right? There is suffering, there is pain, there is ugly”.
I sat up.
I was stunned to realize that he thought my celebrations were avoidance. That to “Celebrate What’s Right in the World” was to walk around with lenses focused only on the good and simply not look at the bad.
He couldn’t have been further from the truth.
As a photographer, Dewitt speaks of training your technique. Like Dewitt, I have tried to develop an “eye”- a keen awareness of all that is going on both around me and within me. As a result of his teachings, I’ve learned how to be fully present, awake and alive in each and every moment. I see and feel it all, the good AND the bad.
But the discipline of celebration allows me to hold it all in a larger context. A context where I don’t deny what’s wrong but see that there is so much more that’s right; a context that shows me possibilities rather than hopelessness; a context that fills me with energy rather than draining me.
I intentionally put time into practices that build this mindset. Like building muscles, I build the capacity to be in gratitude, to explore my vulnerability, to taste joy, to create flow and balance, to hold acceptance for “What is” and not run from the discomfort, to see how the glass is also half full.
These practices have become a way of life; they are not accessories. I live them constantly, deeply, with discipline, courage and joy. They are constant, holding me present in all the moments - the good ones and the bad ones.
As I stand in these moments. Dewitt’s question “What is the Next Right Answer?” whispers itself into my ear. Like a mantra, it brings with it an ability to quiet my mind. It is because “Celebration” is my resting place, my baseline, that I am able to live through and not avoid those things that I wish I didn’t know.
The practice of celebration is a balm of my soul. It inspires joyous laughter, beginner's mind, belief in possibility. It holds me steady but more importantly, reaffirms my sense of wonder. To practice celebration is not avoidance - it is a life practice. It is the most disciplined thing I do – every day. A conscious choice to seek abundance and beauty and an intention that I set as the inspiration of my day.
And for that, I Celebrate!
Tania
"Whatever we focus on, we get more of."
"What we think about, we bring about."
"Whatever we look for, we find."
I could not agree with you more Tania, that looking for what's right is a deliberate choice. Our physiology is attached to what we think about. "We move toward, and become like, that which we think about." If we're giving the majority of our mental energy to the suffering, pain and ugliness in the world we'll be consumed by it. More importantly, if our focus is taken up with all that's wrong it makes it more difficult to see what's right when it shows up. Terrific post Tania!
thanks Lauri, your quote reminded me of my first consulting job, and the first lesson my mentor taught me..."You move toward and become that which you hold uppermost in your mind." Happy Holidays! Celebrate all that makes your heart sing. T
I always remember my father having Norman Vincent Peale's book - The Power of Positive Thinking next to his chair (back in the 50's). The title itself was inspirational! We spend so much of our lives looking for that perfect utopian existence where we are happy all of the time. Of course, that doesn't exist, but what does exist is our ability to "not dwell on" the negativity in the world to a point where we lose sight of the light, beauty and goodness that is within our reach at any given moment/circumstance! Thanks, Tania, for the wonderful reminder that we have the power to create and choose the energy we want to surround us in our daily lives. What do we hold on to and what do we let go of? It is our choice!
thanks Barb. It is also so good to realize that consciousness about the power of choice has always been around - it is not a fad - but a practice that has always been a part of humankind's existance, best to you, T
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