I no longer celebrate holidays.

Holidays.

To me they are dead.

Christmas.

Easter.

Valentines Day.

They lost their meaning over the last few years. When I came to the realization that people's expectations of the meaning of these days far exceeded their importance.

To me, I try to celebrate every day I breathe.

That means I have a chance to see something beautiful and amazing, especially if I get out with my cameras.

It means I may get a chance to talk to a good friend and just share some laughs.

Or some tears.

And in the daily living. The humanity. The life we lead.

There is cause for celebration.

Of just our life and existence. Of the beauty and wonder of nature.

We don't need a day on a calendar to tell us it is time to celebrate something.

And I reject them all. Because they are all artificial. And to me, they represent dreams and expectations that crashed and burned like a train wreck.

Who needs them?

Not me.

I plan on celebrating the small things in life. The friendships I have. The smiles. The laughs. The hugs. The good times. And the sad times that we share that bring us closer.

Because even in the worst of times, the bonds of friendship are something to cherish and celebrate.

I will never be anyone's valentine.

I will not celebrate the birth or resurrection of the savior. But I do love Jesus for the man he was, and what he showed us.

I will not welcome "Santa Claus" to my house.

I will not stand up and salute the flag on Independence day, though I do cherish those who sacrificed for us.

I will not swill beer and party on a day off, in celebration of some date on a calendar.

I will however celebrate this life, and the people in it, and the glory of nature.

Because that. And they. Are all that matter.