SIMPLY CELEBRATE NEWSLETTER    JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013

If you know me at all, you've heard me say — maybe ad nauseam — "there is so much more to Simply Celebrate than oom-pah-pah and party pinatas; it's about a deeper, more radical, unexpected celebration.

Simply Celebrate is about framing small moments so those moments become cinematic. It's a minute-by-minute arms-open-wide embracing of what is. It is a celebration of the human spirit and everything that happens on our journey— be it sweet, tangy, spicy, or bitter.

So, um, what's this stuff about panties?! You can't get more frivolous than underwear, right?

Wrong.

I've been watching in my own life. For years. Watching when and where and why I choose to celebrate. Seeing what gets included. And what gets left out. And most fascinatingly —if that's a word, or even if it isn't— I've been watching what choices I make lead to (or away from) a feeling of celebration.

Important note:  hopefully by now, you know I use the word "celebration" as a synonym for vitality, joy, peace, self-acceptance, and/or plain ole happy-to-be-aliveness.

We've been led astray by our culture to think that celebration needs to be pulled out of storage for use on special occasions. That we've got to dust it off and use it "for good" like we do the black tux and the fine china. No, no, no. Celebration can be right here, right now, on this anyday Wednesday. That feeling of being alive and loving ourselves and our lives can — and usually does— start with the smallest of details in our lives. And, well, that's why we're talking about panties!

Think about it. Most likely there aren't that many people in your life who see you in your skivvies. (If there are — then, hmmm… that's requires a whole 'nother metaphor that I'm not ready to tackle!) What does it say to yourself if you're willing to add some zest and color and fun in an area of your life that is not for public consumption? What does it feel like to want to be whimsical or sexy or fun because YOU want a life that feels whimsical, sexy, or fun?

This is one thing I know for sure: how we treat ourselves first thing in the morning sets the tone for the whole day. What if you woke up and before you leaped (or rolled or dragged) out of bed, you took a moment to think about your day and imagine one or two fun things that could happen. Then you don your celebratin' panties, drank from your favorite coffee cup, slipped into your za-zing red shoes, and whispered sweet-somethings in someone's ear — maybe even your own—all before 9am?

Do you think the day would have a little added kick? You betcha. Do you think you might smile at more strangers? Uh-huh! Do you think you'd walk a little straighter, feel a little higher, be more open to crazy magic? I know it, sista!

This isn't frivolous stuff. We're talking about the moments of our lives. They ain't endless. They ain't replaceable. They ain't ho-hum. Once-in-a-lifetime magic? That would be every moment of our short lives.

Do you see that when we start the morning with the intention to feel a little more alive, we start scanning our world for ways to carry out that intention? The mind looooves a mission. It loves to connect the dots. And maybe you've noticed that if we aren't clear and firm about what dots we want connected, the mind tends to scan for what's wrong and construct its own picture. Left to its own devices, ole monkey mind will create a thick book of connect-the-dots that reveal pictures of flat tires and disappointing dates, of broken dreams and jiggly underarms.

Seize the morning like you're a circus come to town. Surprise yourself with crazy-striped tents and the smell of caramel corn and high-flying acts all of your own making.

Slip into those "just-for-good" undies —just because. And just for you.

And giggle your way through the day, leaving 'em all wondering why you've got that devilish grin on your face!