Day 4 - 95 -- Learning Self Acknowledgement

When chatting today, I was asked if I'd celebrated doing something that had been hanging over me for a year. It was simple, yet took a whole lot of brave to get to completion. When I finally managed to address the task -- likely seen as inconsequential to others -- I let it go by as done. Today I realized that I have difficulty celebrating me and my accomplishments. Interesting. I feel a degree of satisfaction when completing planned activities, yet don't fully celebrate. Even  if it is just a small acknowledgement to me, I should work to do this more often -- not big splashy public celebrations, generally just something with me or with a select few. I have no problem celebrating others and their accomplishments, but personal milestones can be more difficult to celebrate with others -- it is the old threat of self-aggrandizement making me hear negative talk in my head. How to get around that for smaller self acknowledgements and improved sharing of events with others are on my list of things to work on in the coming year.

Today, I chose to celebrate the accomplishment at home on my own -- still a major step <smile>. I had to get groceries, so I picked up some gyoza and veggie sushi rolls and served these with some Asian veg and a nice glass of Zinfandel. It felt good to do this, so don't know why I don't do it more often. It was almost like the question posed to me today somehow managed to give me permission -- as silly as that sounds. Just more interesting things to explore in my spare time <grin>.

A few lines from a well-known song came to mind as I reflected on the concept of the day. While the lyrics bring much defiance, they also carry self acceptance and direction. The singer adds power to the messages -- an amazing voice, gone too soon. Enjoy!

Greatest Love of All -- Whitney Houston