Portland,Oregon-Hosted its 33rd Annual Providence Portland to Coast Walk & 42nd annual Providence Hood to Coast.
Congratulations 🎉 to our hometown team, Peace Runners 773 for their participation, doing it not just for the culture and city but for the hood! We need more health professionals curating positive images to encourage more representation in our fight for equality in social justice. Health is wealth 😊 and it all starts with us!
Recap with us
Recap visual
By the way Peace Runners is sponsored by LuLulemon.
Official Peace Runners IG and visual of them starting the relay
The Providence Hood & Portland To Coast Relays is the most popular and largest running and walking relay race in the world, annually drawing participants from over 40 countries and all 50 states. Known as the Mother of All Relays, the event takes 8 to 12 member relay teams 196 miles or 128 miles (from Portland) from the iconic top of Mount Hood to the beaches of the Pacific Ocean. The event has sold-out for 36 straight years and on lottery opening day for 31 consecutive years!
Chicago, IL-In a Garden across the street from the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, hosted by Zaire, we gathered in the name of love, culture, and therapy. As modern-day social workers, we must have our work-life balance because we’re out here during the year combating crisis in our communities’ culture and helping to shape the new world into a better place.
I received an invite from an associate who also happens to be a close friend of mine earlier this week, and I was happy to attend and network even though it was a brief session. That’s really all you need for painting or any form of therapy.
The setup for our art tables. Photo credit: ZaireFull view of setup in the garden space. Photo credit: ZairePainting with friends and family of The Puerto Rican Cultural Center Photo Credit: Zaire Friends and family of The Puerto Rican Cultural Center Photo Credit: Zaire
Art Therapy
Art therapy is significant for several reasons. It provides a creative outlet for individuals to express themselves, explore their emotions, and process trauma or stress in a non-verbal way. It can help improve mental health by fostering self-awareness, reducing anxiety, and enhancing overall well-being. Additionally, it can aid in communication, especially for those who find it challenging to express their feelings verbally. Overall, art therapy offers a unique approach to healing and self-discovery.
Healing Creativity and Working Through Emotions of Grief
Art therapy can be particularly beneficial for individuals who are grieving because it provides a safe space to express complex emotions that may be difficult to articulate verbally. Through various artistic mediums such as painting, drawing, or sculpture, individuals can externalize their feelings of loss, sadness, anger, or confusion.
Engaging in the creative process allows them to explore and make sense of their grief journey at their own pace. Creating art can also serve as a distraction from overwhelming emotions and provide a sense of control during a time of upheaval.
Furthermore, art therapy encourages reflection and introspection, helping individuals gain insight into their grief experiences and find meaning in their loss. Group art therapy sessions can also offer a supportive environment where participants can connect with others who are going through similar experiences, fostering a sense of community and validation.
Overall, art therapy can facilitate the grieving process by promoting emotional expression, coping skills, and a sense of healing and renewal.
“Your feeling of safety is now related to order and clarity, even in emotions. You may have the need to organize everything chaotic and disorganized. Try being more tolerant and accept imperfections of life. It is better to trust life and let it run its own way, not everything must be according to expectations.”
This year has been a roller coaster ride and we’ve all been working on a change of pace. We’re in a space where we’re individually thinking about the collective; and how we can work together to raise the consciousness of humanity.
The divine self is untouchable. No harm can come to it, nothing can break it down. It is eternal and it is forever, and the only tune it vibrates is love.
Forever Consciousness
I had a conversation with one of my partners and mentors, Karen Hicks of a “Few Good Women”, and she dropped some jewels that helped move me in the right direction because my intuitive sense has been on point but the use of my sense wisely hasn’t. Things have been a bit clouded for me and moves have been based on emotions whereas I’ve definitely been in a space to reflect, rethink, and set new plans according to whom I’ve grown to.
SO the conversation with Karen basically led me here in my notes:
America is a place of mainly labor and services; not manufacturing, creating and growing.
Be still and be quiet
Time to teach the collective
“We (referring to black people)” don’t have pride in anything.
“Our (referring to black people)” conversations of sharing and thinking should be about perspectives; not about agreeing or disagreeing.
“Black people”, both sexes, are crooks and always scheming. They’re no different from those who so called oppress racially, in fact, not only do they do the same thing but they directly and indirectly work together in most cases.
All of the above have me stressed in some way, either I don’t want deal with it or its a challenge. My plans had begun to change and closer towards the 9th of September that feeling had gotten stronger. It made me want to get rest, rethink, and reorganize. I’ve been feeling the need to study my chart and pay close attention to self because there are areas or aspects of my life that haven’t been sitting well with me: public life, relationships, lifestyle, and my work flow.
September 17, 2020 we’re transiting through a Super moon in Virgo, working towards a total eclipse in December. New moons are good for starting a new cycle, new habits, and focusing on what you want to manifest. This moon has an extra boost because its a super, so use this energy productively. This new moon is paving the way for something new to emerge.
Mercury not only rules communication, it represents coordination. Thought processes, ideas, and sensory information from both conscious and unconscious sources all need to be coordinated and understood. Mercury analyzes, sorts, groups, and makes sense of things. How do we handle nervous energy? How do we express and convey our thoughts? How do we approach others and information in order to learn and exchange ideas?
Yesterday at Demera Ethiopian Restaurant, I hosted 8 guest to celebrate the New Year (my new year). The benefits of dining with others is the centering of food and conversation which helps to upwardly build relations.
In today’s community or world we don’t eat with our family a lot. We’re typically always on the go, with our extended family from work, or maybe with our friends. Whatever the situation, we aren’t spending two hours a day communally eating.
Eating together and having a quintessential human experience is communal dining. You get to catch up with your peers, family, or partners. It’s a great way to learn from one another and inspire new cuisines, cultural practices, and share information.
Well I’m gone get straight to the point with you. I’m improving my life and culture, so how I bond with humans in my life is utterly important to me. It’s not about one individual but about the unit as a collective. It’s about the whole experience and learning how not to be selfish or kill the mood of others, being aware of how you’re energy (Inner G) impacts others.
Communications Generalist | Cultural Strategist | Data & Business Analyst 