Are We There Yet?

How many parties do you throw a year - One? Two? Literally zero?

Parties take time and effort, requiring a reason convincing enough for you to organize and others to attend. So, what does make something worth celebrating?

I'm afraid our standard is much higher than it should be. Consciously or not, we determine worth by a series of factors far and beyond what is attainable in this moment. But if we are not worthy now, then when?

I wonder if while we wait for things to become convincing enough to celebrate, we miss a precious part of the human experience - contentment.

Long-awaited parties are usually accompanied by lofty expectations and a disappointing aftertaste. When the party, in all of its hopefully satisfying glory ends, what next? How many more years of silence must we wait to celebrate again? What if we never accomplish what we thought was the only thing worth celebrating?

Yikes.

I wouldn't say it's time we lower our standards, but I do think we should consider changing them. There is nothing less worthy about what you did today than what you will maybe do tomorrow. A little is enough. It's enough to end your day in peaceful sleep; it's enough to share with others at the dinner table; it's enough to smile about; it's enough to be satisfied with.

This doesn't detract from the importance of dreams requiring more than a day's work. It simply gives you permission to throw a few parties in the meantime.