Happy Continuation Day

Two Cups of Tea at Hope’s Café

Yesterday was my birthday, or as the Buddhists describe it, my “continuation day.”  This is a concept popularized by Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Zen master.  Instead of focusing on and celebrating a single day, one acknowledges the continuous flow of life.  In this tradition, one celebrates interconnection, the continuation of the legacy of ancestors, of our parents, of the environment.  As Hanh described it, just as a cloud does not die when it transforms into rain, a person is constantly transforming in form, energy and presence rather than being created or destroyed. Thus the way to honor continuation is to reflect on the present moment, express gratitude to one’s ancestors and to celebrate the privilege of continued life and growth.

Being very fond of my birthday—I look forward to it every year—I am unlikely to give up my celebrations.  But a hybrid model very much appeals to me.  I do find as I am ageing that I am naturally feeling more drawn to reflection, to gratitude, to the awareness of what a gift it is to have life.  I have had so many experiences that could have cut my life short.  But here I am.  In some sense, I feel obligation to make the most of my life to honor all those who have had their lives cut short as well as those who gave me life and those who have provided care that spared me when I might otherwise have died. 

As I think about it, while my birthday marks my continuation day, every day is a continuation and deserves our gratitude and our investment in making the most of it.

“The day you call your birthday is really a day to remember your continuation. Every day you transform. Some part of you is being born and some part is dying.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

The invitation is open to share two cups of tea anytime at Hope’s Café or anywhere you share companionship and conversation.

May we be bearers of hope, the “wait staff” at Hope’s Café, for each other and all those we encounter.  Shalom, Kate