I love celebrating. Life, love, beginnings, endings, any reason to throw a party, I will be there with funny hats and good music.

My roommate/best friend's 21st birthday was this weekend. Boy. I loved it so much. Just taking some time to appreciate her life and the joy she brings to other people was awesome. She loves to receive letters, so for a few weeks leading up to the anniversary of her birth, I had been secretly collecting notes from different people in her life. Anyone I could think of, I got one from. Why? Because celebrating others - celebrating life in general - is important.

I think it's one of the best things that we get to do in this life.

Number one, celebration is good just because it is fun. Who doesn't love a good cupcake or party popper or gift or surprise party? They are places where all of the bad goes away and we focus on the good. Laughter is everywhere, funny memories are both recounted and made, and all the foods are eaten.

Secondly, it is important to remind ourselves of the good in life. I am in the midst of quite a bit of stress, transition and start-of-the-year over-extension. There have been a lot of moments recently that I have considered just doing nothing because I don't know where to begin. While all of that has been going on, it has been so so good to remind me of some of my favorite things, including the life of my sweet roommate. Celebration puts life into perspective; we might be sad about our friend leaving, but in the middle of his going away party, we can't help but be excited about his next chapter. In the middle of mid-terms, life is pretty overwhelming, but if I take a second to get some ice cream with a friend after finishing that exam we spent hours studying for, suddenly I can handle whatever is next.

Life is both beautiful and brutal all at the same time. "Brutiful," as my older sister would call it. Celebration is one of my favorite ways to make the beautiful outweigh the brutal. So here's to you, your life and the wonder that it holds.