Unlike the main character in my novel, MAN OF THE YEAR, celebrating myself does not come naturally. Inviting you to join feels even weirder. What have I done, besides doing my job? My novel is being published. Books are published every day.
But I’ve learned from you. You’ve taught me the power of community and ritual when we witness the most meaningful milestones in each other’s lives. I’ve never chosen a maid-of-honor, or a godparent, or appliances for registries, but I have made choices, and I do love my life. And if I expect society to value women’s choices — marked by rites of passage of our own design — then it is my responsibility to value them, too.
So, upon publication of my very first novel, I threw a Novel Shower. All gifts from my registry were sent directly to a local nonprofit supporting students and teachers in the public school district in my hometown. Reading, writing, creativity: these are my essentials for a happy future. Because if tradition teaches culture, passed down through generations, I’m cool with updating tradition. There’s so much to celebrate.
Caroline