My husband’s grandmother passed away a few years ago. She had been sick, but it was still as jarring and awful as it is when you lose someone you love.
When my mother-in-law was later going through Nan’s things, she found a beautiful pajama set that had never been worn. My mother-in-law shared that she remembered Nan getting those pajamas and not wanting to wear them because she was saving them “for good” – or for special occasions (which, looking back is really cute and funny…did she have a boyfriend we didn’t know about?! What special occasion did she have in mind when she purchased them?! Oh, Nan…).
So often we hear songs like Tim McGraw’s Live Like You Were Dying…but if I know I’m dying soon, I’m at least going to feign all responsibility and healthy eating, and probably take a bunch of naked pics and bang my husband at the top of the Empire State Building. Just to start.
Also, if we make every day a celebration, true celebrations aren’t as meaningful. So where do we go from here? Where’s that line?
I think it inevitably lies within your own set of priorities. For example, I have a gorgeous Tom Ford eye shadow quad that I only save for special nights out or when I want to look amazing in photos. On one hand, there’s no reason I can’t wear that makeup every day. On the other, if I go full glam with super expensive makeup every day, there’s no where to go.
And it’s like New Year’s Eve. While it’s a once-a-year thing It never seemed to be as good as I’d hoped. Make the plans, get the sparkly dress, chill the champagne…then it comes and I’d be tired, hungry, the sequins in my dress would itch, and I’d be surrounded by a drunken stampede all fighting for an Uber. Instead, my best memories – the ones when I feel like I’m really living – are typically unexpected.
What works for me is celebrating and cherishing each day, but knowing those celebrations carry different weights. In the end, it’s all relative, and I honestly believe that it all comes down to gratitude. Being happy, thankful and content for all the good we have tempered with the good we hope for.
After that meaningful conversation with my mother-in-law, I resolved to stop saving things for experiences that are “worthy,” because those once-in-a-lifetime events might never come. And, really, we don’t know how things will turn out – I’m shocked and saddened by the news of Kobe Bryant, his daughter and several other souls leaving us far too soon.
And so…
Time is precious, so join me in making every day that we can a celebration, at the very least, of gratitude.