On unconventional celebrations and why they matter

As societal norms continue to change, I like to reflect on how certain facets of life feel differently now to how they did ten years ago or when I was growing up. Seeing more diversity in movies and TV is one example (has anyone else watched Turning Red?? Loved it!), another example is what our career aspirations look like (so different to our parents’ generation). Yet another example is how we build our families, or how the term “family” has grown in meaning.

One thing that hasn’t changed so much are the milestones we deem worth celebrating: birthdays, graduations, weddings, babies, new homes, and sometimes retirement.

These milestones are momentous to be sure…but as society evolves, why haven’t our definitions of milestones followed suit?

When nearly 50% of marriages end in divorce, why is it that we don’t see more divorce parties? The ending of a marriage is terrible and heartbreaking, but instead of assigning the stigma of failure to the parties involved, why can’t we celebrate the fact that they took brave steps to choose a new beginning?

And what about those that don’t get married or have children? Would we roll our eyes if they invited us to grand parties to mark the start of a new job, or the launch of a new passion project? Would we think “Wow, that’s so self-indulgent!”, or has society caught up enough that we can reframe that thought to “Wow, that’s a life event worth celebrating!”

Think of something in your life that wasn’t conventionally celebrated that you’re really proud of. Maybe you’re an amateur photographer and your picture was chosen for a magazine! Maybe you and your best friend have been each other’s platonic soulmate for years and years. Maybe you learned to crochet and started an Etsy shop :) Now send me an invite to your party, because I want to cut some cake with you to acknowledge how proud you should feel!