Happy New Year!
After what felt like a month of March that was five hundred years long and the rockiest, most unprecedented year we’ve ever seen, we finally crossed the finish. Like most of you, I’m cautiously optimistic that 2021 is going to be better to us all.
When I first sat down to outline this blog post, I never imagined I’d be writing it after testing positive for and starting to recover from COVID-19. Spending the last few weeks of the year on the couch, completely exhausted, coughing, blowing my nose and sniffing random candles to see if I could still smell (I couldn’t). I also never imaged the first work week of 2021 would be one filled with so much additional trauma and distraction
Like many of you I’ve spent the past few days glued to my tv and scrolling on social media, trying my best to maintain enough focus to get through the day. It isn’t easy.
In an earlier draft of this post, I focused it more on my wellness approach for the new year. The events at the Capitol on Wednesday made me take pause on publishing, and processing the event in the days that followed made me completely change course.
As a Black woman, this is nothing new to me. Seeing white people commit crimes that would be a death sentence for someone in the skin I’m in isn’t new. It was not a surprise. I was not caught off guard. And contrary to what many people are sharing in posts and headlines, this is exactly who and what America is. I have never known any other version of this country than one who consistently makes exceptions for white citizens. I know many other Black and brown people share my sentiments.
In the past 11 months, from confronting fascism and white supremacy to dealing with a global health crisis, we’ve dealt with so much collective trauma. The new year usually offers a chance for us to refresh to start anew. I truly believe that we can invoke that sense of a fresh start whenever we need to. And this year, we will likely feel the need to do so more than once.
This Saturday, I’m overjoyed to be attending and speaking at the Glow Wellness Tour. The event, which is completely virtual this year, is the kind of event I believe we could all benefit from attending right now. My friend Candy, the tour’s founder, is one of the greatest champions of wellness and education around sustainable health practices tailored to women of color. When she asked me to participate in the event it was a no brainer. Every year this event creates space for women of color to come together and focus on healing. I cannot imagine a time where we need this more than right now.
In the past few years that I’ve attended the tour, I’ve watched women from all backgrounds and body types come together to be absolutely selfish and focus on their own well-being. To be able to experience that level of self care within a community who can so deeply relate is invaluable. I cannot say with complete confidence that this year will be easy. It may not always be instinctual to prioritize your health. I know that right now, remembering to take my vitamins and drink water is a struggle. But I also know that wellness should not be a privilege. We deserve to feel well. We deserve to have access to spaces that prioritize our healing.
The theme of this year’s tour is Expansion, because after feeling limited in so many ways by the year we just left behind, it’s time to feel free to take up space again.
If you’re looking for a way to recover a bit from the week we’ve just had, and you could use some community and space to freely be yourself, I please join me at the tour this Saturday! I’ll be hosting a workshop on journaling, including prompts focused on healing, self love and prioritizing your wellbeing through the rest of the year. Journaling has always been a key self care tool for me, and I hope to help other women add the practice to their wellness toolkits.
This event is has always prioritized being financially accessible to attendees, but if you’re reading this and money is a barrier to you getting what you need, please email me. We will make sure you have access to this incredible event; finances should not be a barrier.
To learn more about the intention behind this amazing event, check out my recent live interview with founder Candy Calderon. You can register online, and be ready for a day of fun, growth and healing tomorrow, January 9th. I hope to see you there, because we deserve to heal.