When you stop to think about it, people are crazy. We’re loud and we’re quiet, we’re thoughtful and impulsive, we’re tall and short and everywhere in between. We build spaceships and paint paintings and work farms and raise children. Sometimes we fit right into stereotypes and expectations, and sometimes we defy them. Sometimes we struggle to find our place. It’s easy to focus on our differences, to feel alienated or to build camps, but what if we focused on what we have in common instead? What if above all else, kindness was king, and love was our guiding light?
The LOVED Collection is a brand-new initiative on a mission to spread the simple, world-changing message that whoever, wherever, whatever else you are (or are not), You Are LOVED. LOVED has partnered with collaborators to offer a collection of pride-themed shoppable items; you can pick up an entire team’s worth of socks, like we did, or grab a t-shirt, a candle, or even gelato (yes, gelato – we wouldn’t joke about something like that). 100% of the proceeds from your purchase are forwarded on to LGBTQ artists and selected community organizations who are doing their part to spread the message, worldview, and social shift of love and inclusion all year round.
So maybe you’re going to be standing on a float covered in rainbow body paint this weekend, or maybe heading out of the city to soak in our beautiful province is more your thing. As the saying goes, you do you! But whoever you are and wherever you find yourself, Calgary Pride weekend is a great reminder of the importance of inclusion, kindness, and creativity. These three things are interconnected, limitless, and have the power to shift the world around us.
Happy Pride, YYC! Have all the fun, soak up all the colours, and feel all the love.
