What Are You Celebrating Today?

When my yoga teacher first asked me the question, it made me pause, almost disoriented. But I loved the question and wanted to think about it.

“What are you celebrating today,” Peter inquired. He said he and his husband made a point of asking each other this question on a regular basis. I love the idea of celebrating big and small things in life, and so the idea of asking this question each day sounded like a great way of finding even more to celebrate in life.

So I started asking my kids. On the car ride to school in the morning, I’d ask them what they were celebrating that day. At first, I had to give examples of what they might be celebrating. But quickly they caught on. And I loved hearing about what they were excited about or felt was worth celebrating in their everyday lives.

Some days it was something big, like my son’s football team being in the Super Bowl. But often it was something much smaller. Like winning a game at recess. Or looking forward to a friend being back in school that day. Or that it was Pizza Day at lunch. Or Daddy coming home from a work trip.

After they answered the question, my kids would ask me what I was celebrating. I’d pause and think, trying to will my coffee to kick in so I could think of the thing I felt most like celebrating that day. It was usually something like the sun being back out after many days of rain or looking forward to a plan I had later that day. But the idea of having something worth celebrating made the beginning of this new day feel more exciting (and worthy of celebration).

It can be easy to start the day worrying about all the things you need to accomplish or how you’re running late for the kids’ bus (which I feel like I am nearly every day lately). But focusing, instead, on something worthy of celebration is a great way of shifting your focus to the positive (and changing the outlook on your day).

Now, my daughter will often surprise me by asking me out of the blue what I’m celebrating in the morning. She is much more of a morning person than I am, and I love that this is now where her mind goes as we drive to her bus stop. It shows how powerful the questions are that we ask ourselves and how they train our minds to look for exactly what we’re asking.

So, I have to ask you— What are you celebrating today?