Does anyone else feel like there just aren’t enough holidays? Shouldn’t we celebrate every day, even if we are celebrating things as simple as pancakes, puppies, or the color purple? With this mentality, I started checking out the National Day Calendar every now and then. Who knew there were so many objects, events, and ideas worth getting excited about? During my most recent search, I happened upon a holiday that immediately captured my attention: National Wear Your Pearls Day (December 15).
I’ll be honest: at first, I thought, does our nation seriously have a day that celebrates jewelry that is definitely not affordable to many of its citizens? Are we really that exclusive, really that inconsiderate of the differences in social classes and income disparity? (Well, we probably are, but that is a completely different conversation.) However, as I read more and more about this holiday, my initial emotions and thoughts were proven to be incorrect, hasty assumptions.
National Wear Your Pearls Day, founded by author DeAnna Bookert, is actually a celebration of embracing the beauty of your life, a beauty that is often formed through hardships and trials. As cliché and make-you-want-to-puke-sappy as it sounds, we are like pearls: beautiful, glittering objects that are often formed from irritating circumstances and mishaps. Nationaldaycalendar.com actually says it better than I can: “Just as pearls come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, so do people and the kinds of trials thrown into our lives. We create our own beauty from the tragedies of our lives but often do not see it. We devalue ourselves and as a result, lose motivation to be a part of life. Like pearls, we develop a process to protect ourselves from further damage, layer by layer becoming stronger and more resourceful. Recognizing the collective value of our strengths is like wearing our pearls.”
So, on December 15, whether you adorn yourself with pearl jewelry or just flash your pearly whites at yourself in the mirror, remind yourself to celebrate the troubles life has thrown your way, for those events have formed you into the person you are today.