We are all just so busy. I know people have always been busy, but the sheer onslaught of daily activities in which we are all engaged feels overwhelming on a semi-regular basis. I remember being busy as a kid growing up and our family had a great deal to do, but we always made sure we kept certain days special, at least. Days like Christmas and birthdays and such were like little respites in the sea of activity.

Nowadays, I feel like even THOSE days are often bypassed without much fanfare for many of us. In fact, I've heard friends talk about how they're looking forward to a holiday weekend--not because they're looking forward to celebrating with friends and family--but because they are hoping to catch up on the work they've been unable to complete during the daily rounds of the work week and even weekends.

Whether or not we need to take time to reflect on whether or not as a society we need to re-evaluate that perhaps we've crossed the line in terms of how much we are attempting to do in our every day lives is a worthy discussion. However, it's beyond the scope of this post.

I simply wanted to share a truly lovely experience I had recently. A dear friend of mine was celebrating her birthday and we actually took the time to celebrate it. Like really celebrate it. It was one of the nicest experiences I've had in awhile. It was an all day affair that incorporated a day trip to Dallas, lunch, shopping, art museums, lots of laughter, and of course birthday cake. By the end of the day, yeah of course we were all tired, but it was a day well spent celebrating someone we love and happy memories were made. Memories we will have forever.

It occurred to me when I got home that I'd not celebrated a birthday like that since I was a kid. Not mine, nor anyone else's. It made me wonder why. As I got back to work it stayed with me. Yeah, I could've spent that day, after a simple social media acknowledgement of her birthday, working and catching up on things. But I so glad we didn't. The thing is, the daily tasks will always be waiting for us. There will always be dishes, work tasks, soccer practice, committees, etc. However, our friends and loved ones won't always be with us. Why do we not prioritize these days? If we don't take time to enjoy life and our family and friends, what are we working so hard for?

The next time a holiday or birthday rolls around, fight the temptation to minimize it. Celebrate the special days. Heck, celebrate every day. Because really, we only have so many...so aren't they all kind of special?

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