I first heard this poem while on a silent meditation retreat with Dr. Mark Sherman on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. It resonated with me and ‘it’s okay’ became a soothing mantra that stayed with me all day.
It’s Okay by Matt Haig
It’s okay to be broken
It’s okay to wear the scars of experience
It’s okay to be a mess
It’s okay to be the teacup with the chip in it. That’s the one with a story.
It’s okay to be sentimental and whimsical and cry bittersweet tears at songs and movies you aren’t supposed to like.
It’s okay to like what you like.
It’s okay to like things for literally no other reason than because you like them and not because they are cool or clever or popular.
It’s okay to let people find you. You don’t have to spread yourself so thin you become invisible. You don’t have to be the person always reaching out. You can sometimes allow yourself to be reached. As the great writer Anne Lamott puts it: Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island for boats to save; they just stand there shining.
It’s okay not to make the most of every chunk of time.
It’s okay to be who you are.
It’s okay.
