Is it really okay to assure myself that it’s okay?
(Before you wrongly assume I have an answer to this question, know that I do not.) All day, every day, there’s a thought that repeats in my mind, like the only playable riff from a scratched-up vinyl single. 🎶 It’s okay! 🎶
Didn’t muster up the energy for a jog today? 🎶 It’s okay! 🎶 Haven’t responded to a text message in three days? 🎶 It’s okay! 🎶 Worried you’re drinking too much beer? 🎶 It’s okay! 🎶 Forgot to shower again? You guessed it: 🎶 It’s okay! 🎶
If the rest of the song was playable, it’d explain how the world has bloomed into deconstruction, and how we each have our own way of handling it. Each approach is unique and beautiful, like a delicate snowflake. Everyone gets a trophy. (PS I read that some call this “trophy communism”—damn, that’s delightful).
So here we are, with a permission slip to process, but we never got the tutorial on how to actually process. We’re covered in Hot Cheetos dust, wearing Oreo crumbs for lipstick, being told that this is the bravest thing we will ever do, and to keep on doing it.
For those of us privileged to be healthy, safe, and sheltered, the pandemic is an enabler. The challenge is finding the difference between coping and chaos. To the best of our abilities, we must skip self-destruction, while not dismissing the heaviness in our hearts. Four weeks in, and I haven’t found the balance. Is that okay?
So maybe it’s about building a better framework. Instead of brushing off every behavior with another 🎶 It’s okay! 🎶 maybe it’s okay to ask yourself:
Are you okay?
Next Steps: Drink a glass of water, select one new pandemic quirk you’ve developed, and skip it. Just for today.
🎶 It’s okay! 🎶