07 Jan Our Lives Are Worth Celebrating
By Malik Henry and Marsha Mitchell
January 1-7 has been designated as National Celebration of Life Week. Community Coalition acknowledges the loss, hardship, and pain our community has endured, particularly over the last two years. However, we also wanted to lift this annual celebration to demonstrate our hope for better days to come.
As we enter a new year, many of us are still working through trauma that has left our mental and emotional well-being in poor condition. Our journey through the pandemic, as well as the vast loss of life around us, has sapped our community’s physical and mental health stamina. With our communities already lacking adequate mental health services, we must seize moments like the national Celebration of Life Week to combat the onslaught we are experiencing in our hearts and minds.
Gratitude can be a powerful weapon to affirm that our lives are worth celebrating. 2022’s Celebration of Life Week can genuinely be a way of honoring the strength of our community and encouraging us to acknowledge the progress made during last year. If you reached specific goals like furthering your education, achieving a healthy weight, or landing a new job, these are all achievements worth celebrating. Whether you learned a new recipe, discovered an unknown author, maintained your standard of living, or stayed connected to your family in this time of isolation–no goal met is too tiny to be highlighted during this week.
Here are some ways you can observe National Celebration of Life Week:
- If you want to celebrate yourself and the important people in your life but still want to practice social distancing, try having a virtual Celebration of Life party this weekend. During this virtual celebration, invite friends and family to honor those who have transitioned from our physical lives– but live on in our hearts and minds.
- Another way to celebrate this weekend is simply taking time to yourself for your mental health. Watch your favorite movie, reread a favorite book, go to the beach for a walk, and don’t forget to reach out to family and friends to tell them how much you appreciate them.
- One last way is to simply be still, and affirm that you are still here! #CelebrateLife
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