A List of Little Ways I Celebrate

Photo by: Johannes Plenio

If you tuned in last week, you know that celebration has been my sun breaking through the clouds of inconvenience annoyance and the dry season slump. As promised, here are some specific ways I like to celebrate in everyday life (This is in no way a complete list--some I can do in Honduras, and some I can't--and this one is divided into some convenient categories):



Photo by: Markus Spiske

Nature:
1) Plant some flowers or a vegetable or herb garden.
2) Go for a walk.
3) Buy flowers and arrange them.
4) Tube down the river.
5) Run in the cool of the morning.
6) Walk barefoot in the grass.
7) Watch or listen attentively to some birds.
8) Look at the stars at night.
9) Spend some time at the ocean. (My favorite place)
10) Can't go wrong with watching a nice sunset.



Photo by: Edirain


Travel:
1) Take a road trip to a new place.
2) Go to a farmer's market.
3) Go to a cute small town. (Some favorites of mine are Shepherdstown, West Virginia and Lewisburg, West Virginia.)
4) Go for a leisurely drive with no destination in mind.
5) Go to a museum.
6) Yard sales or flea markets.
7) Go to a bookstore. (I could spend hours in a bookstore.)
8) Explore a new city.
9) Go to a waterfall.
10) Go somewhere from your childhood.



Photo by: Zachary Nelson


Music:
1) Lay down with headphones and listen to worship music.
2) Listen to oldies in the car.
3) Go somewhere to hear live music of many varieties--a symphony, a jazz band in a restaurant, an outdoor folk concert, etc.
4) Go to a worship-only church service or event. (This doesn't necessarily feel right in the music category since it's just as spiritual or more so than musical, but roll with me.)
5) Participate in a jam session.


Photo by: Jonathan Mast


Food:
1) Eat something nostalgic like a root beer float.
2) Make a great brunch and enjoy it.
3) Drink iced coffee.
4) Make a smoothie. (Can you tell it's flipping hot here today?!)
5) Sip on an iced chai latte while people watching.
6) Savor a piece of dark chocolate.
7) "Make" a new recipe. (Quotations because I never fully follow a recipe.)
8) Try a new restaurant.
9) Cook with jazz music on.
10) Eat a brownie.
11) Have a picnic.
12) Eat ice cream with milk...a Joe Crickenberger classic.
13) Make some southern-style sweet tea in the summer, apple cider in the fall, hot chocolate from scratch in the winter, lemonade with mint in the spring. (Can you tell I like beverages?)
14) Grill out with the family.
15) My go-to in college enjoyment was to pick up some sushi, get a pint of Ben and Jerry's, and rent a good movie (RIP Video Den).
16) Enjoy vegetables from your very own garden.
17) Eat a green mango salad.
19) Enjoy some peeled oranges with salt and especias.
20) Roasted vegetables right from the sheet pan.
21) Bread and soup on a rainy day.
22) Munch on raspberries.



Photo by: Bruce Emmerling


Specifically with Others:
1) Hug my husband for a long time (oxytocin and all that).
2) Call my family.
3) Send something encouraging to someone else.
4) Catching up with a friend over coffee.
5) A sing-a-long in the car with my siblings. (Old school Veggie Tales anyone? Major brownie points if you know what Jungle Jam is...)
6) Play Scrabble with my grandmother. 
7) Make dinner for my dad.
8) Enjoy a Sunday afternoon with Raúl, out and about.
9) Chat in the kitchen with Nannie.
10) Go shopping with my mom.
11) Hold Raúl's hand.
12) Good conversation with anyone.



Photo by: Rujhan Basir


Animals:
1) Play with a dog...especially my dog.
2) Ride a horse.
3) Visit a zoo or aquarium. Marvel at weird-looking animals.
4) Hold a soft animal like a puppy or a bunny...maybe even a kitten though not my favorite.
5) Watch my neighbor's chickens eat from my compost pile.



Photo by: Weinstock


Hobbies:
1) Journal.
2) Do something crafty.
3) Writing, of any kind.
4) Read a magazine. (This is a guilty pleasure, one I reserve usually for when I'm in the States and for Magnolia Journal, specifically.)
5) Paint something. A painting, a house, a room, whatever.



Photo by: Ms. Britt


Miscellaneous:
1) Burn a nicely scented candle.
2) Give myself a small reward for doing a task you didn't want to do.
3) Try something new.
4) Sleep with a fan on when it's hot or warm.
5) Watch funny videos (my go-tos are funny animals and Jimmy Fallon Tonight Show clips of hashtags, games, or mad-libs).
6) Sleeping with the windows open.
7) Wear a breezy dress.
8) Relax in a clean house.
9) Do a puzzle or a crossword.
10) Read a good book in a hammock.
11) Soak up some sunshine. (Yes, Mom, I'll put on sunscreen first.)
12) Play Cranium with my brother as my partner.
13) Go camping.



Photo by: Aaron Burden


God:
1) Look for Him in unconventional places.
2) Sing to Him.
3) Dig deep into His Word, asking all of the questions.
4) Have a morning coffee or tea date, just purposeful quality time.
5) Be still and listen to Him.
6) Talk to Him on a walk or in the car.
7) Invite Him to tell me or show me something.
8) Ask Him to let me feel what He's feeling about a situation.
9) Imagine Him close to me and just telling Him how much I love Him.
10) Be honest with Him.

What kinds of things would be on your list?

PS Here are some that I would imagine would be on my husband's list. Can you tell we're opposites?
1) Yell as loud as possible to get out excess energy.
2) Drive a motorbike in the mountains.
3) Do anything that involves adrenaline.
4) Eat enchiladas.
5) Zip line.
6) Run and jump in a pool.
7) Look at skyscrapers and long bridges.
8) Be surrounded by people.
9) Listen to pulsating techno music at full volume.
10) Bang on drums even if it means waking the neighbors.
11) Drive bumper cars.
12) Go to a car or motorcycle race.
13) Dance in public, unexpected places.
14) Make strangers laugh.
15) Buy boots.
16) Sleep like a starfish.
17) Play and rough house.
18) Hit a piñata.
19) Let off fireworks.
20) Eat an ice cream sundae with all of the toppings available.

Photo by: Gabriel Sanchez