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Robbie Schlosser celebrating ANOTHER birthday
I’m involved in celebrations — wedding or some kind of wonderful party — nearly every day. It’s how I make a living, whether by helping people plan their music or by having my band create the perfect mood for the festivities.
Working in the midst of happy people is great fun, and pleasing them is incredibly rewarding. However, in everything I do, I occasionally like to step back, as they say, to gain a little more perspective. You too?
I’m in one of those moods right now. Nothing serious, of course. Probably reflecting that I recently heard someone wonder about what will our final thoughts be as we’re dying. Probably not that we’d wish we could spend another day in the office, draw one more blueprint, update one more spreadsheet, ship one more product, or dig one more ditch.
Get the picture? So I’m wondering about all these celebrations — wedding, party, annual banquet, grand opening, and all the rest. They’re wonderful occasions, don’t get me wrong, but wouldn’t it be nice if we also celebrated something smaller, more personal, and make it just as monumental in our lives by creating it and giving it that extra attention.
Above is a photo of Bunch and my sister, Kay, helping me celebrate a recent birthday. How boring to measure our lives only by the same old routine annual milestones! Our birthday. Family and friends’ birthdays. Our graduation day. Our wedding anniversary. These can become millstones, not milestones.
Instead, let’s also create our own special landmarks. And mark them with the same enthusiasm that we give to the standard celebrations — wedding, party, and all the rest. Who knows? Perhaps all these new celebrations would give us so much more to cherish as we live our lives.
Examples? I’m just making them up, but how about these two?
“Mili Day” marking the thousandth day of (whatever — engagement? marriage? new house? new job?)
“Sprout Day” or “Blossom Day” marking the first appearance of a sprout or a blossom on a favorite plant in your garden.
Why can’t we create our own personal celebrations? And make them just as significant as the standard anniversaries? What celebrations would YOU create? And how would you include music?
Thanks for reading my blog. I appreciate your interest and hope you get a few good ideas here. Please comment and continue this conversation. I’ll reply to you, and so will others who share your interest. You’ll make new connections.
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The Magnolia Jazz Band entertains at weddings and parties throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are nearby, you’ll love catching us in action, seeing and hearing us create a great mood. In the meantime, please join our Facebook fans to receive daily tips for planning wedding and party music and to receive reminders for our public events.
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Meanwhile, the Magnolia Jazz Band entertains at weddings and parties throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are ever nearby, you’ll love catching us in action, seeing and hearing us create a great mood.
How can I help you? Call 408-245-9120 or use Robbie@MagnoliaJazz.com. Planning a celebration? Ask about our availability.
I vote for personal celebrations. How about celebrating the fact that we woke up this morning? Or we could celebrate the fact that we found a great new flavor of yogurt by Chobani! Or that no new personal disasters happened last week?
I know. Some of this may seem trivial to people whose lives are going well. But for some people just the fact that someone gave them a smile is reason to celebrate that day.
Thanks, Teresa. I agree completely! Personal triumphs like those you mentioned might seem trivial in the short run, but if we consider the grand sweep of our lives, it’s a different story. We tend to overlook many of the things that matter most to us, and bring us the greatest happiness. I’m more inclined to measure the quality of my life by my “belly-laughs/week” index than by the number of years I’ve remembered to notice my birthday.