Put on a party hat and live

While some people seem to be natural born party poopers, most of us also have that one special friend who – on the opposite end of the scale – manages to find every conceivable reason to throw a bash.

They are the friends who don’t need an excuse to light a fire and open a bottle of something.

I, fortunately, know a few of those.

Every birthday is obviously cause for celebration, Women’s Day, Independence Day, heck, even every Friday is reason enough for some people to invite a group over to share in the celebrations.

Just the other day, while doing an extravagant Friday evening braai, I was reminded of the importance of saying goodbye to the week and welcoming in the weekend: “How would a weekend feel if its arrival wasn’t celebrated? It might never pitch up again.”

I cannot argue with that brilliant logic.

But I’m also not expanding that train of thought to every day or every month.

Some people also find anniversaries a must-celebrate-occasion. And not just wedding anniversaries. I’ve actually attended a magnificent party where we celebrated the fifth anniversary of a friend’s divorce. And no, I’m not going to make some sexist joke about the women dancing all night and the men crying. I really did have an eye infection then.

Pets’ birthdays are also a popular reason to party. So far this year we have celebrated four pets’ birthdays, including our dog’s first birthday. Technically it’s not “our” dog. It’s my daughter’s, but that does make the dog part of the family so it does sort of make it ours. And my daughter and the dog share a birthday, so she doubled up on that celebration.

And let’s not forget the lunar eclipse and winter solstice parties. I hope to get lots more invitations to those.

Next month it’s spring and I’ve already been invited to a party to celebrate the imminent arrival of the flower season. It’s a garden party and the dress code simply reads: colourful.

Today, as I await the next cause for celebration, I salute those friends who are so wonderfully adept at the living of life. Cheers, and thanks for inviting me along for the colourful ride.