For me, the little wins in life are worth celebrating. I don’t have to wait until birthdays or Christmases come around. I’ve learned to relish rejoicing in the little things in life. These little things mean more to me than any generic celebration because they’re unique to me. Every day that I can get out of bed, I celebrate. Every day I can do some work, I celebrate. Every time I do something I love, I celebrate.
There was a time in my life where I was never certain of doing these things again as I was struck down with a mystery serious illness that resulted in major, lifesaving surgery being required to give me the best chance of beating the illness. That word chance puts everything in perspective. Nothing in life should be taken for granted. These mundane, everyday things like the ability to get out of bed each morning can be snatched away from us in an instant.
After surgery, I began to try and celebrate what I call "little wins" to aid my recovery. Every time I pushed myself to get out of bed, I celebrated. Every time I managed to eat a spoonful of solid food, I celebrated. Every time I was able to look in the mirror and acknowledge that I had given myself the best possible chance of recovering, I celebrated.
And recover I did. Now I go through life continuing to celebrate the little wins. I will never let myself forget that the things that I do each day can so easily be taken away from me. I make sure not to be too hard on myself if I make a little mistake because there’s always little wins surrounding that mistake that are worth celebrating. Most of all, I will never stop celebrating my recovery and my second chance at life.