In the Spirit of Celebration...

As I write this, I am taking a break from "getting ready" for a little gathering I am hosting tonight. There really isn't much to do--just put together the appetizers later this afternoon and run the vacuum one last time. I have returned to "hosting" more after taking a break for a year or so. I got a little burned out a couple years ago as I felt like I was forever organizing and hosting and my world didn't seem too reciprocal. Well, I got over it and decided to embrace the role. Lilly asked me yesterday how many parties I had thrown in my lifetime and it made me cackle. Considering I started when I was about 12, I cannot begin to say. Maybe 50, maybe closer to 100. How lucky have I been?

There is definitely a spirit of celebration swirling around me--whether it is the simple family Thanksgiving, or little potlucks at work, or even wandering the First Friday Art Walk with Lilly last night. It is that time of year when people are bundled, bustly and festive. As part of my focus on making health changes, I am not really drinking alcohol (I'm opening some sparkling cider for Thanksgiving in the photo above) and watching the intake on the "holiday foods." This doesn't mean deprivation or avoiding things I love altogether--just trying to make healthy, moderate choices. So far, the pounds and inches continue to decrease, but again, it is all very moderate and stress-free. The way I see it, it is just one more aspect of life to celebrate. Lilly and I have been having fun supporting and encouraging each other and learning new ways to eat tasty, healthy things.

So much to celebrate--my brilliant, healthy kids; my own health and happiness; the positive life changes made this year; having "enough;" a comfortable home; wonderful true friends both old and new; and I find that right now, I am especially feeling celebratory about the unknown--the future. I think I have absorbed Stuart's motto and am allowing myself to feel truly hopeful in the wake of some pretty precarious times. Why not really? Why not celebrate with gratitude and a feeling of optimism? It seems the season is calling out for a bit of hopefulness. So, as I swing open the doors and invite people in, I'm welcoming the spirit of celebration...