ENOUGH: Mental Health Awareness
The bracelets come in pairs. One to wear, one to give away. I'd been wearing mine for weeks, waiting for the right wrist for the second one.
I found her in Panajachel, Guatemala.
Her name is Nicolasa... a weaver whose hands have been telling stories in thread far longer than I've been telling them in words.
She pointed at my smile and said I was beautiful. I pointed at hers and told her the same. She covered her mouth, embarrassed, and shook her head, no. So I hugged her. I admired her weaving, I asked where she lived, I listened to her stories. I told her I could see how hard she works. That was the moment. I reached into my bag. We didn't share a language perfectly, she speaks Kapchikel, a Mayan language, but we didn't need to. I told her about the bracelet, and what it means. Somos suficiente. We are enough. I asked if I could give it to her, and then asked which wrist I could place it on. She pointed to my wrist, where I wore mine, and said... I want it there, just like you.
This is the power of connection, the power of people in community, the power of what happens when we truly see each other.
I don't wear this bracelet as an accessory. I wear it as a mother. Bipolar disorder is part of my family's story, and I've watched what happens when someone finally believes those three words... you are enough. I've seen the fight, and I've seen the other side of it. Today my family is in a season of joy, and I don't take a single second of it for granted. That's exactly why I carry this message everywhere I go.
It's why I sit on the board of NAMI New Orleans. It's why We Are ENOUGH matters to me... every bracelet funds organizations like NAMI, doing the work to support people on their mental health journey through education, resources, and support. I met Blake Mycoskie at the NAMI conference, and I was honored to be invited as an Ambassador for ENOUGH.
I said “yes!” without hesitation. Guatemala helped raise this Honduran girl. It's the place that taught me my artistic mind was magical, that my creative soul belonged, that reminded me my indigenous roots and Latina heart are beautiful, that I didn't need to change for anyone.
It told me, over and over, that I was enough... long before I could say it to myself, long before I could even understand it. I couldn't come back to the country that made me an artist without leaving that message behind, with the women and the culture who helped shape me.
We are enough. Somos suficiente. Pass it on.
#BipolarStrong #Enough #YouMatter #NAMI
With a second line in my step wherever the rhythm carries me,
Karlita
Karla Marie “Karlita” Cochran
In the Spotlight 504 New Orleans
