How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes! ~Maya Angelou

I've got celebration on my mind. Perhaps it is because at the Charter for Compassion we are in the midst of planning our 2022 Global Gala, during which we honor three extraordinary individuals who have made more than significant contributions to the world and one organization that has done the same.

We won't announce the names until the end of September, and part of the fun is in the preparation and the build-up. Back to the notion of celebrating. How important has it been in your own life? I have a feeling that each of us has our own notion of what celebrating means for them. I remember the first time I visited India. Every evening for a whole week, the air was filled with celebration, as wedding parties--one after the other in fact, marched through the streets. The astrologers had deemed the week auspicious for marriage. I don't think I've ever heard the song "Tequila" played by small marching bands more than in those seven days.

As I step back and reflect on Maya Angelou's quote about recognizing our heroes and she-roes, I am struck by how much time we devote to acts of global celebration; Nobel and the Right Livelihood Awards, the Olympics, the Tour de France, royal weddings, film and music awards, from the Grammy and JUNO to the Oscars, Ariels, Goyas and Cesars. I believe it is time the Charter for Compassion Humanitarian Awards were added to this list.

Let's think about why we stop for a brief time to acknowledge individuals in these events.

Scientific research tells us it's good for our health to celebrate. Imagine that! Think of all the lost opportunities for occasions we missed marking and celebrating in our lives. Consider the happiness we can experience and exude by recognizing others, or even ourselves when we've done something kind, caring, and good.

The act of celebrating brings us into the realm of being more optimistic, provides us with positive stress when we are preparing for an event, and brings us all sorts of rewards during and following the celebration--keen observation, feelings of self-worth, and a new sense of resilience. Just think of all the creativity used in the planning, leading up to a celebratory event.

While we at the Charter are getting ready for our big celebration on November 12th, we want to remind everyone that there are tons of reasons to celebrate small wins as well as well-orchestrated wins.

Take the time. Stop. Notice. Acknowledge what is happening around you.

There is always time to pause, take a break, and share a treat with someone for work well done, whether at work, school, or within the family. Take time to high-five occasionally!

Check out our progress as we build our event.

Visit our 2022 Global Gala Page Here

With warm regards,

- Marilyn Turkovich 

This message from Marilyn Turkovich, Executive Director of the Charter for Compassion, appears in our 8/27/2022 weekly newsletter. To sign up for our newsletter, scroll all the way down to the end of this page to get to the bottom menu; in the newsletter section, enter your email address and click on subscribe.