A Taylor’d Approach
Every day is a special occasion
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A friend of mine recently lost his grandmother and came to inherit her fancy copper pots and pans. Beautiful, gleaming cookware … once he had cleaned the dust from them, as they’d hung up in her kitchen like a chandelier, unused, since the day they’d been purchased.
He shared that his grandmother had bought them years ago with the intention of using them for special occasions. However, as the years went on, no occasion seemed quite special enough. His grandmother continued to wait, and wait, and wait to use them, until one day she no longer had the opportunity.
It’s not uncommon to have something set aside for special occasions. It’s likely safe to say most of us have something or other tucked away, maybe a bottle of wine, maybe a special outfit or nice cologne, marked to use when some unknown special event comes along in our lives. We may not even be that deliberate about it; maybe just putting off having a favorite meal or specific food until a later date, one we deem somehow more worthy of that thing than another.
But how special is special enough? Life is unpredictable, and often far too short. Every day we get to wake up is an achievement and an opportunity, and something we oftentimes don’t take the time to be grateful for. There is, obviously, something to be said for planning for the future, but the purchase of something for only big, bombastic special occasions seems like a great way to accidentally undervalue the little celebrations in each day.
My best friend and her husband cook themselves a Thanksgiving meal nearly every other month, or whenever the urge arises, simply because they see no reason to wait all year for their favorite holiday meal. My friend with the like-new copper pots and pans now uses them daily to make meals for the joy of feeding the people he loves. I’ve made a point to wear my favorite dress whenever the mood strikes me, even when it’s just for an evening at home, because I like it just as much in my living room as I do during a fancy outing and seeing it in the mirror makes me smile.
If you have a particularly special event on the horizon, there’s no shame in going out and getting something to mark the occasion. But if the event doesn’t come to pass, I hope you’ll mark an occasion anyway. Crack open that bottle of wine to celebrate being with people you care about, even if you see them every day. Put on the fancy perfume because you like the way it smells. Eat the caviar for breakfast because it’s the most important meal of the day. Use the pots and pans because you want to.
Celebrate the small things and try to recognize that every day is its own special occasion. Don’t put off the things that bring you joy. Experience the special things you’ve been looking forward to. Otherwise, one day, you might not get the chance.
