A Few Reasons to Celebrate
We form odd habits in times of strain. The early days of the pandemic were like those that follow heartbreak. The body wakes first, peaceful and unknowing. Then mind, that ancient film reel, starts its circuit. With a click and whir, news breaks: Pandemic. Stay at home.
This change was disorientating, a cut and spliced reality, like coming out of blackout. In blackout, that slipped away state, returning to my body would feel like waking in a darkened room. I would search my mind to locate myself, fumbling for the light switch, for the edges of the walls: Zoe. Twenty-two.
It’s surprising how dislocating being in one place can be. In 2020, computers were great levellers of distance. On a good day, friends were drawn from far and wide, as close as those next door. On a bad day, even neighbours felt as far away as those in foreign lands. I became uneasy, hungry for conversations on the same patch of ground. A mouse click seemed too quick to break the distance. I developed an anxious ritual. My browser filled with preparatory searches, ‘what time is it now in…?’, followed by child-like counting on my fingers, mouthing each hour of the Earth’s spin.
The other habit, watching celebration. Each day I collected images of people getting married. Cavalier events by the standards of the new normal. Clumped together with joy and optimism, declaring their feelings in ceremony. They gather with purpose, they meet and mark time.
Time, shared meaning, the company of others. Celebration is woven of these. All are anchors, locating us in space. Gathering on a particular day is the opposite of floating round your house in isolation, unsure of the day of the week.
Celebration can be both joy and a nod of agreement. This day matters. It is worthy of the energy that goes into it, and can be more than the sum of its parts. A painting crafted by many hands. Each colour the energy of a contribution: food prepared, journey made, gifts given, music played. The essence is generosity, we have more than enough to give. We can gather, and not only for problem-solving and brainstorming. Some of the best celebrations are purposeful, but superfluous to requirements. We extend ourselves to each other just because.
Celebration is the antithesis to survival, a post-war cheer.