I have mixed feelings about awards ceremonies. As much as I love sharing the joys of life, awards ceremonies feel funny to me. They are not my favorite.

I am not the mom who put the bumper sticker on my car, proclaiming that my child is great.

Maybe it’s because this type of celebration is personal and doesn’t define my child to me. I don’t like the pressure, even though I have the expectation for them to be their personal best. And I don’t like singling them out. I prefer the connection with their peers and teachers and family and teams, as being a part of the whole.

I think I like the ordinariness of life and them just being, doing what they are doing and I don’t need an award as a receipt or acknowledgment of their success. And I don’t want others to feel less.

Awards measure what is tangible whereas I value more what is intangible: their character, and kindness, their ability to love others, their patience and determination to not give up and to work hard. Maybe the awards reflect some of these intangible values as well.

I do appreciate the awards and recognitions however they don’t bring as much joy as I would expect and that’s confusing to me. It feels like another one of those yin and yang moments. I am thankful for their hard work and that there is a way to recognize them, having us pause and to be present and to focus our awareness on all that is good in this moment called Awards Night.

Congratulations to all the awards recipients today! I guess I do kinda like awards after all, and you deserve the credit and acknowledgment for your good work.

Namaste.