CELEBRATING WINS
The evening went well. Good food, good company, smiles and laughter all around. It was definitely a win.
But did I even stop to recognize it?
Every year I spend months planning for this party. Longing to celebrate each member of my work team at Christmas, the event hangs in the back of my mind nearly year-round, with every annual celebration requiring its own special ‘theme.’
One year I gave each team member a trophy, another time I jokingly classified each in the olympic sport I thought they’d be most likely to compete. Last year everyone was given a high-school-senior-style “Most Likely To” award complete with a framed picture of their youthful self. We took a group picture with our graduation hats in my living room.
In preparation for this year’s Christmas party I had them all made into bobble heads - each member of my work team recreated with an oversized jiggling head. The process started in early November and after nearly one hundred back-and-forth messages with the artist, their miniature versions arrived.
For each I did my best to copy elements from their real life. The exact soccer shoes one team member wears and the specific water bottle he carries. Another was outfitted in a pretty floral dress copied from a family photo, a plate of her ‘famous’ cookies in her hands. I submitted dozens of pictures of poses and clothing and accessories, hoping to capture a tiny piece of each person and personality in bobble head form.
It was a labor of love, and I think they felt it.
Weeks ahead of our celebration I planned a menu, prepared my notes and shopped for special gifts - something small but meaningful to show appreciation. In the days before I smoked brisket and ribs, prepared side dishes and appetizers, cleaned the house and hid my huge stacks of paperwork. By the time my door opened at 6pm that evening, the presents were wrapped, the food was ready and I was fully engaged in celebrating my team.
They came, they brought their spouses, they ate and smiled and laughed. They nervously allowed me to say kind words about each, and then we all compared bobble heads.
It was definitely a win.
But two days later, already deep into preparing for a fast-approaching family party, I realized I hadn’t even taken a moment to consider the evening. I had cleaned up, moved on, and put my head down as I headed into what life demanded next. Confronted by a random question on social media I could find only one answer:
How do you celebrate your wins?
Sadly, I don’t.
I’ve written about this before. Determined to embrace life at all its extremes, my fingers have already typed out words reminding of the importance of celebration, of the importance of recognizing the wins. But time is fleeting and the ‘to do’ list is always screaming and sometimes I just get caught-up moving onto the ‘next.’
But I caught it this time, and now without allowing my mind to race toward the theme for next year’s party, I pause and relive the evening, recognizing the moment for what it was and embracing the role I had in making it happen.
This girl did well. And it was a win, indeed.
I’m reminded that in the day-to-day of life our cheering section must include us, our very own hands clapping, our very own voice speaking affirmation and encouragement. Far from self-centered or egotistical, celebrating our wins refuels and refreshes, topping off our metaphoric tank as we head out to give more of ourselves to the world.
So in this busy holiday season I hope you’ll pause to refill yours, and I hope you can find your answer.
How do YOU celebrate your wins?