Food Allergy Awareness Week just gets more and more exciting by the minute. I remember, way back in the day, when my local support group received our first Food Allergy Awareness Proclamation from our Governor. I was sooooo excited. Fast forward thirteen years to today. Not only are states proclaiming this week, buildings are being lit up teal (Thanks Stephanie Lowe of Turn it Teal), media outlets are talking food allergy awareness, people are sporting teal colored clothing with messages and hosting educational events at schools or offering gifts of awareness and gratitude to those in their circles. Free downloads abound and the list of events, awareness and education go on! Food Allergy Awareness times are simply exciting. In the midst of this great wave of information propelled with action and events sits us.
Food Allergy Awareness Week is Fierce, Fabulous and Fun
We are the force who ignited this incredible burst of exchange. Why do we do this? For our community, family, friends and lastly, ourselves. Notice how I placed “ourselves” at the end of this list? We often take care of everyone else first and ourselves last.
What if, this FAAW, you pause for a minute, sit back and look at your own food allergy successes, and your most proud moments while remembering how incredible you are! Without parents, teachers, friends, colleagues and national organizations like Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), Kids with Food Allergy/Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (KFA/AAFA), Allergy and Asthma Network and the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) who all bring something different to our awareness table, our food allergy community would be in a world of hurt! None of this good work happens without real people putting passion and skills to task to make change. This ingenious community has created incredibly fun ways to advocate.
So, in all of this excitement, consider a little private pause to celebrate you. Maybe do something small that makes you smile to toast your own role in in keeping yourself or loved ones safer and happier? What inspires a smile of satisfaction? Could a simple 15 minutes spent enjoying a a cup of tea do the job? Or an extra five minutes in a hot bath without interruption? Wearing a new lotion?
Whatever might bring you that lovely warm feeling of peace and accomplishment, consider finding and absorbing every second of it this week. This week is going to be high energy fun and a little re-charge could be in order.
For me, I adore a lovely cup of freshly ground French pressed coffee made in my travel mug. OR, tea with a slice of a fragrant freshly sliced lemon floating on top. I will enjoy a nice cup of java as think back and get energized to move forward with awareness.
I invite you to quietly and privately celebrate yourself during Food Allergy Awareness Week! Enjoy that cup of tea, coffee or whatever sounds perfect as you think back to small or large moments of feeling good about your own food allergy conversations, advocacy, educating others or evening raising public awareness. Savor your moment of accomplishment–we all have several that get tucked away. Time to bust out those great memories and enjoy raising awareness this week.
Happy Food Allergy Awareness Week 2017!
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..