Celebration!

Today I was privileged to take an hour out of the middle of a busy day to celebrate.  I was part of a team of about 15 people who helped raise over $3.5 million for charities in four months. It wasn't a wild and crazy kind of celebration, just pizza, salad and bottled water...and satisfying conversation over what we had accomplished.

I am taking a week of "staycation," when I stay home, rest, exercise, and enjoy some of the things that tourists come to Washington to appreciate.  At the end of the second day, a friend asked if I'd had a productive week so far.  I responded that I was attempting to not be productive: it's my vacation!

Our culture seems goal-maniacal.  If people don't have goals, there is something wrong with them.  If they aren't being productive, then they must be depressed.  As soon as one goal is achieved, most of us don't even lose stride in moving on to the next thing.  There are times that it seems to be that we've lost the ability to be present to what we are doing for a full cycle, including celebration.

After all, even God rested on the seventh day.  I think there is a message in the biblical creation story. We should follow God's lead and take time to sit back, rest, and just bask in celebration about achieving one truly bodacious goal, taking time to en-joy the fruits of our labors just for the sake of doing so.