Life is too short not to celebrate whenever we have the chance.

We recently marked 140 years of publication at a sister newspaper, an achievement of which we are certainly proud. As we were working on putting together a community party to recognize this important milestone, someone asked me a question that really threw me for a loop.

“Why would you celebrate?” they asked. “It is not a milestone number.”

Au contraire mon frère. (Loosely translated, this means “On the contrary my brother.” I don’t really speak French, but it sounds really cool to say.)

It may not have the glamorous ring of 100 or 150, but what makes 140 any less important?

In this crazy world we live in today, where we aren’t guaranteed another minute on this planet, we need to celebrate whenever we can and hang on to those moments of joy.

Birthdays, anniversaries and holidays are the easy choices, but what about those hidden gems, opportunities just waiting for someone to recognize them as significant?

So that got me thinking, what are some other “milestones” in life that we can celebrate?

Here is a few I came up with:

• The day you got your first job. Or the day you started your current job. (The amount of celebration might be dependent on where you work.)

• The day you bought your house.

• Commemorating the month you moved to your current town.

• Achieving something at work, even if your bosses don’t recognize it as anything beyond doing your job.

Your children accomplishing something important. It doesn’t have to be a report card or test. Maybe it is just that they spoke up in class or showed kindness to another student.

• Taking a small first step on personal enrichment, whether that is starting an exercise program, reading a book, learning something new or just stepping outside your comfort zone.
• Taking charge of an aspect of your life in some way, whether that is financially, in regard to a relationship or even just figuring out what you want to be when you grow up. (No matter how old you are!)

I am sure the list could go on and on. I would love to hear your list of the overlooked and taken-for-granted achievements we should be commemorating.

There is no reason to miss an opportunity to celebrate, share your happiness with others and just enjoy the little things in life.

Michael Caldwell is interim publisher of The Interior Journal. He can be reached at (859) 469-6400 or by email at mike.caldwell@centralkynews.com.