God moves through high fives and happy birthdays

I’m going to let you in on a quirky secret: I love high fives. 

On any given day at work, you can find me high fiving a colleague from Creative Services, a fellow well-being champion or one of the Xerox crew. I average about 3-5 a day, usually accompanied by a “hey buddy” or “you rock!” 

High fives are that perfect encouragement — quick and full of energy. They’re a form of physical touch without being “weird.” No lingering. No commitment to have a long conversation. No awkwardness. If high fives were a love language (“The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman), you can bet they’d steal my number one spot. 

I love high fives. 

Today is my birthday. Every year I take the opportunity to pause, assess what’s going well — or not so well — in my life and adjust accordingly. As I was getting ready for the day (journaling, reading, praying, running) my watch would give a little “bump” every few minutes. Expecting a reminder to breathe or a notification of another mile, I’d glance at the screen to see a “Happy Birthday!” [Instant JOY!] That little “bump” feels much like a high five. And what a beautiful way for folks to show they care. 

So today, each time my watch “bumps,” I’ll bask in the energy I’m getting from you and the beautiful way God is showing His love. 

Because God moves through birthday high fives.

Happy birthday (“bump”)!