Advice for Remy, Day 99. A celebration isn’t a celebration without balloons - whatever your age. I was well into my adulthood before I was able to tie a balloon for myself. And I mean WELL into adulthood. In my defence, my sausage fingers are not very conducive to the intricate twisting and looping of stretchy inflated materials. Today you helped your mum and I blow up countless balloons for your birthday photo shoot - well, helped is probably a strong word. You laughed hilariously at the sound of deflating balloons, and then took a knock from Paul as he rushed past you to try and burst them all. I think it’s safe to say that balloons signify a celebration, and that shouldn’t change with age. They’re ever-present at children’s birthday parties, leading inevitably to kids in tears when they burst. But as people get older they tend to neglect them, along with the larger displays of celebration associated with significant events or milestones. Hopefully you’ll never lose your zeal to celebrate, as it’s a lovely part of life to make a fuss every now and again. There’s nothing wrong with bunches of balloons everywhere when you celebrate your 57th birthday for example, or a cake full of candles, or a big party - and not just for the larger milestones. The downfall of adulthood is often the failure to carry on doing things regarded as childish - but the happiest people don’t care about that. So we’ll always make sure the cupboard is fully stocked with a wide range of balloons for any occasion, so those little celebrations in life can be kept that bit more special than the normal days around them. I think we all need a bit of that right now.
