#tbt: let's pretend this never happened (actually, maybe we shouldn't)

Back in 2012 -- 5 years ago this week, in fact -- my friend Jenny's husband threw Jenny a surprise party to celebrate the release of her very first book, Let's Pretend This Never Happened. It was a very small party: just Jenny and Victor and Marcus and I were there, with our friends Laura and Maile and their husbands. And it was low-key: there were balloons, haunted hotels and rum involved, but that was it. It was a great time.

(Incidentally, Let's Pretend This Never Happened debuted at Number 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list, and Jenny's two follow-up books -- Furiously Happy and her latest, You Are Here have also made top 10 on the list. She's wildly funny and profane and vulnerable and honest, and you truly can't go wrong with buying her wonderful books. And I'd say that even if she wasn't a friend.)

What I remember most about that evening, though, was how happy we were. I mean, we were happy and proud of our friend, sure; but we were so happy, you'd have thought that we'd all made the best seller list. I remember sitting with my friends after nightfall, sipping my rum, and thinking how lucky I was to know and be with people with whom I wholeheartedly enjoyed. It was just so great to celebrate and be with people I so fully liked.

Celebrations like that don't come up as often as I'd like. In fact, I think it would probably all do us a world of good if we celebrated our friends for things that aren't as big as landing on the best seller list, or even as big as birthdays. We should celebrate things like Congratulations-On-A-Clear-Mammogram Week. Or Happy You-Had-A-First-Date-That-Was-Actually-Fun Day. Or even Merry Come-Over-And-Let's-Throw-Something-On-The-Grill-And-Watch-The-Sun-Go-Down Sunday. Complete with balloons and face-cut-outs-on-popsicle-sticks, if it feels right.

But here's the truth: I say this, but I'm horrible at it myself. I mean, we haven't hosted a get-together at our house in a long time. But I look at these photos and think, man, we totally should. Because I figure it's time for us to stop pretending like clear mammograms and fun first dates and glorious sunsets don't happen. Because they totally do.

And if those things aren't worth celebrating, then I just don't know what.