On May 18 an event called NAMIWalks took place (Nami stands for National Alliance for Mental Health). Nami’s mission is to provide advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives. NAMIWALKS as the name suggests was a walk organized to create more awareness about mental health. The organizers were kind enough to invite me, and of course I went.
We left home at around 10:30, and arrived at the event by 11:00. The event took place in Peninsula Park and the turnout was great. We went to the T-Shirt booth to check-in with one of the volunteers and there we met Cheryl Meyers, the deputy secretary of state! She introduced me to the organizers of the event and to some other elected officials who had shown up. As usual, she put me at ease right away and made sure I did not feel out of place. Then together, we went to explore the many stalls.
The stalls were set up in a horseshoe shape around the park, and a stage was in the center of it. A yoga lesson was taking place on the stage and quite a few people were participating. We started at the left of the horseshoe and worked our way to the right. Every booth had some activity to do or some information to share regarding mental health. There was one stall where you could take a basil plant, pot it in your own pot, decorate the pot and then take it home.
Another stall that I stopped by was run by a mental health organization and they were handing out cards and envelopes with motivational words on them, like you matter and you belong .There was also a face painting stall, a balloon animal stall, a fortune telling stall, and various other stalls from mental health organizations. At around 11:45 some people came to the event with therapy animals! There was a llama, a pony, and a lot of baby goats. The people set up a pen around the goats. They let people in a few at a time and let them pet the goats. The goats were so adorable, and I almost dragged my mom to come with me. When we finally entered the pen, a baby goat with a bandana around its neck came and sat down in my lap. I learnt the hard way that the goats really liked chewing on hair and clothes, and quite a few times I had to tug away my hair from their mouths! Maybe they thought my hair was hay and tried to eat it. 
I visited the pony next. I loved the cute ponies and also had fun feeding them lettuce and carrots. I also clicked a few pictures with them. Much too soon they had to leave. Being with the baby goats brought me a sense of calm and made me happy, so I guess therapy animals do help your mental health. (Now if only my mom would agree to get me a dog)
We checked out some more booths, and before long, the speeches started.
At around 12:45, the NAMI leaders and the special guests gave their speeches, and spoke about what the walk was all about. Soon after, They called me on the stage and introduced me and my platform. They asked me to cut the ribbon to start the race. For a moment I didn’t register what they had said, but when I came to my senses I almost screamed YES!! I was so excited, happy and important. Being a ribbon cutter is a huge honor and I felt super proud that they had asked me to be one.
I stood by the ribbon and was waiting as the crowd was counting down from 10. The second they reached one I cut the ribbon and it fell down with a satisfying snip. I stood off to one side as people walked onto the trail. I had strangers walk up to me and congratulate me and give me a high five. It felt good to be recognized by people I didn’t know.
Going to NamiWalks was a really great experience. I was happy that so many people had come to celebrate the importance of mental wellbeing. Inaugurating the walk was something I will never forget and I am happy I got the opportunity to attend!
