Have you ever had anyone cheer for you? Do you remember how that made you feel? Pretty awesome, right? Billy is fond of saying "everyone likes to be cheered" and I remembered that truth last week during our family vacation. (Remember the video of Peter Dill?)

Imagine our crowd of 11 family members waiting in line to ride a bus along with a bunch of other tourists. (Our destination, the Athabasca Glacier.*) The roped off area kept those of us waiting safely out of the walkway, allowing returning glacier visitors room to pass. A motor coach arrived with tourists coming off of the glacier, and they would file past the people waiting in line to take their place on the bus. Our line moved every 15-20 minutes, so we tried filling the time with classic road trip games.

Alas, those didn't get much traction with our gang, so Billy said "Hey - let's cheer for everyone as they get off the bus."

We were off the to races. The grown ups clapped, hooted, and hollered for every person as they wandered through the door. ("You're back! Congratulations! Way to go! Welcome Home!!!) The kids formed a line along the rope and stuck out their hands for "high fives" as people filed by.

We were loud and ridiculous.

No one complained. In fact, every person smiled and many of them returned the enthusiasm with a fist pump, wave, or hoot themselves. Most people slapped the high-fives from the short people.

This little episode was one of my favorite memories from the trip because a) I liked traveling in our own personal "flash mob" and b) because the event reminded me of an important truth: Celebrations are Contagious.

What would your week look like if you celebrated those around you? Do you think you'd drive people away or draw them toward you? What kind of impact could you have if you let people know that they are valued? How can you cheer and fist pump the people who make your life better? How can you encourage the...

Barista
Spouse
Assistant
Babysitter
Neighbor
Colleague
Friend
Security Guard
Waiter
Family

Is it possible to be too ridiculous? Maybe. But if the expressions of total strangers being cheered by other total strangers is any indication, being "over the top" is difficult to do.

Give it a try this week. Let me know how it goes!

*If you're in the practice of creating a "Bucket List" definitely put the Canadian Rockies as a place to see. AMAZING!!!

Celebrate Anyway