Harbor Insights - July 2024
Article By: Annie Gardner
Safe Harbor Coronado’s Parent & Community Program Facilitator
The deep boom of fireworks rattling in your chest. The smell of acrid smoke stinging your nostrils. The delighted ooh’s and ahh’s from the crowd. Bright colors and patterns reflect in rapt pupils as they flash in the night sky. Nothing says summer more than the sights, sounds and smells of a fourth of July fireworks display. Throughout American history, firework shows have been the epitome of celebration; a time-honored tradition bringing people together in celebration, solidarity and patriotism. It is the perfect tradition to bring neighbors, friends and guests together in connection and community.
For many communities, the big firework display is the complete celebration. People come together for the show, and then they go back home to carry on with their summer, following their own plans and priorities. For Coronado, the summer is so much more. Here, the summer is a time for togetherness, a time for community unity, a time to grow, learn and play together, and a unique opportunity to strengthen our community bonds through a multitude of treasured traditions. The fireworks show is just the tip of the iceberg.
Coronado is a community dedicated to building connections, friendships, and togetherness through many outlets. Coronado Parks and Recreation offers clubs, classes and camps to fit a multitude of interests. The Coronado Library hosts events and gathering opportunities for adults and kids alike. The Spreckels center provides ways for seniors to connect. Plus, there are a plethora of active clubs available from book clubs to rotary to pickleball. And on a much grander scale, Coronado goes all in on big traditions. The weekly summer concert series at Spreckels Park and the Ferry Landing bring residents and guests together to socialize, dance and congregate. The fourth of July is more than just a fireworks display, it’s an entire day dedicated to bringing the community together to celebrate. Whether it be at the parade, a picnic in the park, at the concert, or the fireworks show, this tradition is here to bring people together and is a perfect opportunity for getting to know each other.
Participating in community events and traditions like those in Coronado are the perfect way to build bonds of friendship, integrate in the community, and get support from others. It is an integral part of mental health. Face to face interactions are vital to our health and well-being. In today’s world, when many interactions take place in the digital realm, real world connections get lost and can lead to a profound sense of loneliness, isolation and depression. Feeling technologically connected but socially disconnected is confusing. We are technically interacting with others digitally, but these occurrences are often superficial, sometimes fake, mostly comparison based, and not always positive or healthy. The bottom line is that there is no substitution for in-person, face-to-face interactions for
keeping our minds healthy and happy. In fact, according to a Gallup and Walton Family Foundation report, those in ‘Gen Z’ between the ages of 12-27 are now considered the loneliest generation due to the rise of digital presence over in-person presence.
We are lucky to live in a community that makes building connections, friendship and community a priority. When we know people, when we connect with others on a meaningful level, and when we share in a collective activity, we are engaging our social muscles and improving our mental health. The summer in Coronado is the perfect opportunity to find an activity or tradition that
speaks to you and get out there and make a connection. Be it reading on the beach with the Library, or being star struck by the Fourth of July fireworks, connection and community awaits, waiting to boost your mood, stretch your social muscles, feed your soul and end social starvation. Get out there and try something new with your community and make a new connection today!
Safe Harbor Coronado provides low-cost counseling, youth and parenting programs, and community education. For more information go to SafeHarborCoronado.org, sign up for the parenting e-newsletter, and follow us on social media @SafeHarborCoronado to make sure you never miss a Safe Harbor Event!