Last night, Brian and I attended a Scottish Burns Night dinner party in honor of the renowned poet and lyricist, Robert Burns. Although the only Robert Burns song I knew prior to the event was Auld Lang Syne, which he wrote in 1788, I was fascinated to learn that it’s a Scottish tradition to celebrate his birthday every year on January 25th.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, except that haggis would be on the menu – something I was familiar with from my time working with folks in the UK. Haggis is a savory ‘pudding’ made of sheep’s heart, liver, and lungs mixed with oatmeal and seasonings… not my cup of tea! Nonetheless, It was a delightful party.

I had never met our hosts before, but I felt right at home in a group of poetry and music enthusiasts. We even had a procession of the haggis – yes, you read that right! We paraded from the kitchen through the house into the dining room while our host played the recorder. I had the honor of carrying the thistle arrangement and placing it on the table.

Throughout the evening, we ate, laughed, read poems, and sang Auld Lang Syne in honor of Burns. It struck me that we don’t celebrate American poets in this way, and perhaps we should.

What I loved most about this evening was the genuine love and friendship among people I had just met. It was heartwarming to come together in common love for poetry and music.

This experience got me thinking about celebrations in general.

In my opinion, we don’t celebrate enough. And by that, I don’t mean just drinking and partying. I mean celebrating life, celebrating each day, big moments, small happenings, and even old poets.

I miss the celebrations that took place when I lived in a traditional home, and I realize now that I have been limiting myself by thinking that boat life, especially in the winter, can’t accommodate celebrations with friends.

It’s time to write a new story about that and let the celebrations begin.

With love,

I LOVE celebrating my client’s expansion and success and I’d love to do that for you. Let’s talk about making your life a celebration every day.