There’s been a lot of talk in the media recently about the privileged 1%. Today we honor another 1%: our veterans, the brave men and women who put on their uniforms every day and make our freedom their mission.
At a veterans health conference in June, I was shocked to learn that only 1% of all Americans ever serve in the military. Those soldiers and their families make enormous sacrifices for all of us. We can aspire, dream, and create because they have pledged the other 99% of us. It’s a humbling ideal and they deserve more than a day of celebration. We should be thanking veterans every day of the year because every day of the year they are giving us a chance to live the lives we imagine.
To show our gratitude and concern for the struggles that face veterans and their families when they return home, Compass Yoga is putting together a holiday gift for them as part of our veterans program. Over the next few weeks, we’re filming several short yoga videos and meditation podcasts that will be readily freely available for any veterans and their family members who wish to start down the road to better health. The package videos and podcasts will be available just before Christmas, and we’ll be sure to let you know about their release. In January, we’re starting a yoga class for veterans and their family members at the Muhlenberg Branch of the New York Public Library. (Details here.)
It’s our way of serving them when they return home from serving us. There will never be enough ways to thank them for all they’ve done, but this is a start.
Christa Avampato 