The most important special occasion you encounter every day is simply being alive. We all have a private museum at home. In the closet, the beautiful clothes hanging, still crisp from the day you bought them, or worn once and saved for “next time.” The silk blouse. The good wool blazer. The dress that makes you stand a little taller. We tell ourselves we are saving them for a special occasion.
In the cabinet, the best dishes. The ones from the wedding, from your grandmother, from the store where you finally bought the set you always wanted. They sit behind glass, waiting for the right dinner, the right guests, the right holiday that feels important enough to risk them.
We live like this in many ways. Saving our best for later. As if today is a rehearsal and the real life will start soon. But later is a moving target. The right moment rarely announces itself. Life keeps happening on ordinary Tuesdays. Groceries need buying. The porch needs sweeping. A neighbor stops by. The sun comes in low through the window. If we keep waiting for a grand occasion to feel worthy of our own beautiful things, we end up saving our life for a life that never comes.
So wear the clothes. A beautiful piece of clothing changes how you move through the world. Not because other people notice, but because you do. The weight of good fabric on your shoulders, a color you love close to your face, a pair of shoes that were made to be walked in, not stored away. It is a way of saying to yourself: I am still here, and I am allowed to feel good in this body, on this day.
Start using the dishes. A chipped mug will hold coffee. But so will the porcelain cup that catches the light. Why should beauty be reserved for company? You are company. The morning you get to have coffee at all is company enough. Put the good plates on the table for scrambled eggs. Let the crystal catch the afternoon. Things become more precious when we use them, not less. A plate that has held a hundred ordinary meals has lived a better life than one that has held two fancy ones.
We were taught to be careful. Don’t waste, don’t get it dirty, don’t be extravagant. That was wise advice when things were scarce. But there is another kind of waste: letting joy expire unused.
You don’t need a reason to light the candle, to put on the cologne, to open the bottle, to play the good music while you do the dishes. Being alive is the reason. Breathing in and out without pain, having eyes to see color, having a table to sit at, having one more day to choose how you meet it — that is not ordinary. That is the special occasion we were waiting for.
So tomorrow, don’t wait. Wear the jacket to the hardware store. Eat off the good china because it’s Wednesday. Use the nice stationery to write a short note that says nothing important, just “thinking of you.” We don’t honor our lives by saving the best of it. We honor our lives by spending it beautifully, right now.
“When God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them… this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.” – Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
Being About The Journey 