Wellness encompasses so many things. In 2021, amid a pandemic, constant civil unrest, and all the other hashtags, wellness, for some, is mustering the strength to get out of bed, show up to work, and hope to make it home in one piece.

To black people, wellness is hope. To black women, wellness is the journey of peace. 

According to Oxford Languages, wellness is “the state of being in good health, especially in an actively pursued goal.”

Actively pursued. A whole lesson in itself.  To actively pursue translates as being diligent and determined in the personal pursuit of wellness. For many, including myself, diligence and determination are displayed within many faces and spaces. My diligence at work is keeping my interactions comfortable for others while minimizing myself. My diligence with family is pushing concerns under the rug to thrive in dark spaces. My determination in love is staying in the fight, most often on my own. And to myself, my determination manifests as choosing to fall in love with myself at every stage, especially the ugly ones. 

Diligence and determination are of the highest pursuit to the seeker and are necessary for survival. 

Wellness is essential for any survival goal. Wellness is sitting in bed on a rainy Saturday praying to the Most High for being granted underserved grace and mercy. Wellness is my eight-step, twice-a-day, no-days-off face rejuvenation routine that, too often than not, is my only moment of self-care in this selfish world. Wellness is sitting here, bare, open, and vulnerable, curating a place of peace for me and you. 

Wellness is love. The love of my relationship with my Savior. The love of my parents that hype me up even on my worst days. Love is hearing “Auntie Nita” from my nieces before I can barely get in the door. Love is pouring my private existence into this public platform. Love is Purity Black. Purity Black is love. So come, remove your layers, pick up a glass, and cross over into this threshold of love, forgiveness, and most importantly, personal wellness.