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A behind-the-scenes look at Terranam Wellness & self-care tips for taking better care of yourself.
BY MARIA GARRIDO - 2 MINUTE READ
Milestone birthdays are the perfect excuse to celebrate the present and practice gratitude. But there's no reason you can't do it with style!
CELEBRATING WITH PURPOSE
Weddings celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in life and hope for the future.
Funerals are about looking back at the past and celebrating the closure of a loved one’s life chapter.
There is no official occasion that celebrates the present.
So I decided to use my 50th birthday as the perfect excuse to create one.
It wasn't just about having a party to amuse my friends and dance the night away. This birthday party had to have a purpose. I wanted to bring together all of the people who have been a part of the different chapters of my life, past, present, and hopefully future for a celebration of gratitude. The purpose of this gathering was to say thank you to all of them for the joy, love and laughter they have brought to my life.
THE ART OF INCLUSION
This required lots of careful planning. It would have been so easy to just open my contact list and thoughtlessly invite everyone I knew to this birthday blowout. To quote Priya Parker "The more the scarier, not merrier!" I didn't want this to be a party for every single person who'd crossed my path in life, but a considered careful inclusion of those friends and family members who’d truly made a positive difference in my life. This meant purposefully excluding people who were likely to make a stink about something or other, those that you usually invite out of 'obligation' or those who I knew wouldn't join my gathering with the mindset of humility and kindness I wanted this celebration to encompass.
So, I started the walk down memory lane. I went back to every chapter of my life to identify the people who’d graced me with their love. From my best friend at age 9 with whom I discovered a love of musicals with to the college friend who giggled with me over young crushes, all the way through to the work colleague I bonded with over office dramas.
These are the people who made my heart smile and whom I wanted to thank.
THE INVITE
The invitation went something like this:
"A 50th year is an incredible time to celebrate life: the tears, the successes......Somewhere along the path, you
made me smile, you made me laugh and you filled my heart with joy. To mark this present moment, I want to thank you for being part of my life with a celebration of my gratitude for you".
It was easy to invite my usual crew of close friends; they were readily accessible in my frequent contacts and they were expecting it. Others I'd lost touch with over the years had to be hunted down 😉 but a little time on Google or Linkedin did the trick.
Admittedly, I felt a bit awkward and vulnerable sending this to people I hadn't spoken to in decades or those who lived on the other side of the world. I thought "they're going to think I'm stalking them". Or "She's crazy; why would I travel half way around the world for a birthday party?" In the end, I knew I had to follow through on my purpose of gratitude, so I hit the send button anyway and waited.
THE BIG THANK YOU
The surprising thing was I did hear back from nearly everyone I wrote to. It's amazing how people embrace you even after decades of distance. For those who couldn't make it to the event, I emailed them a personal letter of gratitude, citing a fond memory I had of them and thanking them for having been a part of my life.
For those that did make it to Terranam Manor (even coming from halfway around the world!) to celebrate with me, I wrote a handwritten note I left in each of their Terranam rooms also recalling moments we'd had together and thanking them for the friendship they have blessed me with over the years.
Together with our tribe of kindness at Terranam, we welcomed my childhood friends, university buddies, current cronies and people from all over the world to our little corner of paradise. We treated them to the VIP experience we give our clients: nature walks though the mountain forest, island and beach visits, connection with nature, magical massages and spectacular food.
Before cutting the birthday cake, I shared life lessons they had taught me and I thanked them for their unwavering support throughout the years, for their love and kindness, for their trust, for believing in my wild ideas (like Terranam!), but most of all, I thanked them for bringing peace, joy and laughter into my life.
And of course, a proper Spanish birthday blowout would not have been complete without dancing and a little sparkle in the evening sky!
SELF CARE TIP
Whether you are celebrating an important birthday or milestone in your life or simply gathering friends for a dinner party, give the occasion a positive purpose. Use your celebrations to celebrate others and express gratitude. Trust me, your heart will burst with love!❤️
COME JOIN US
Join us for a self-care retreat or privatize our manor for your own celebration.