I have thought about writing to you countless times over the last 8 months. I have had mini drafts in my mind, thought through snippets of stories I was excited to share with you and tender moments that I knew you would want to know about. But it just hasn’t been the right time, until now.
First of all, there is never a moment when I am not thinking about you and how we came to be connected with each other. Whether it was through Instagram, my online magazine Bella Life which I started over 10 years ago, Chronicon, another event I hosted or a variety of other ways that could have brought you here. I feel our connection deeply and it is incredibly meaningful to me. With everything happening in the world with the global spread of COVID-19 and the disturbing ways that we have been navigating through it all in America while also coming up against the truth that our country is built on white supremacy and racial injustice, I know you have been managing a lot mentally, physically and of course spiritually. I never want to write to you unless I have something that will actually add value to whatever is happening and as I worked through my own trauma, grief, and internalized racism as a brown woman living in America, I just needed to do that work and not pretend to have any answers.
Because the truth is, I don’t think anyone has answers for us, we have to do the work to find the answers within ourselves and much of what we have been taught is to do the opposite of that. Even in the elite and completely toxic wellness industry where I first started my work, it is not set up to have us get to the root of our pain and access our truth. It’s built on capitalism, spiritually bypassing and toxic positivity all while making so many of the programs claiming to help people so unaffordable and out of reach for those who are most in need of that help. It’s been breaking my heart for many years now and I know many people can relate to that.
I promise I didn’t write this blog to add more negativity or tear anyone down, it’s actually quite the opposite. I am here to say that while so many are waking up to all of this, it has only become that much more clear that where I am most needed is supporting and loving those who are living with a chronic illness. As I have said before, it’s the work that God brought me to this earth to do. It’s the work of my 10 year old self’s wildest dreams. The work she so desperately needed as she was battling with tremendous pain and confusion about the lifelong journey she was about to embark on and I will not rest until we help break the cycle of isolation that comes from living with a chronic illness.
So while I haven’t been in your inbox here that often, I have been creating content, writing a weekly newsletter and sharing powerful resources for the Chronic Community we have built over at all things Chronicon and I would love for you to join me there. Just type your email right on the home page and you will be all set. Even if you don’t personally have a chronic condition the chances that you know someone who does are pretty high and we need allies more than ever right now. We need you to understand what the over 133 million Americans are dealing with on a daily basis and how we have learned how to infuse joy and pull from a strength beyond measure to get through it all. We need you to be on the journey with us and help us to break the cycle of isolation.
And if you have a chronic illness but haven’t subscribed to our weekly newsletter, The Chronicles, I encourage you to do so! It’s a space just for you where we share Chroniconvo’s with inspiring thought leaders for free, we give weekly shout-outs to members of our Chronic Community so that we are constantly learning about each other and supporting all of our efforts and we even leave you with a selection of Chronic Comfort that will help you get through how tender and challenging it can be to live with a chronic illness. We have heard from many subscribers that it has become a bright spot in a very dark time and we hope that will be the case for you too. We have also really invested in curating an Instagram feed that adds value to your experience which you can follow here and we will be launching several new offerings, events and initiatives in the fall which you will get the inside scoop about if you’re a part of our Chronic Community.
So while I am not saying a formal goodbye to you here, just know that my efforts are really being aimed at all things Chronicon and if you want a healthy dose of light, truth and community, you know where to find it.