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How are you? Okay. Like so many people, this is my go to response when someone inquires about my current state of well-being. Sometimes, depending on the person posing the question to me and when and where the question is being posed, it is truly the most appropriate response at that moment. Sometimes, that seemingly simple word, which has been simplified even more with abbreviations of “okay” or, my personal pet peeve, “k”, says a great deal, without really saying anything at all. Sometimes, okay is, well, okay, while other times, okay is not okay.
Recently, I have thought of what it means to be okay. Is it a state to achieve or a launching pad for something greater, or is it both, perhaps? There are times when life is anything but okay, and I pray to reach a state of okay. Okay becomes the brass ring that I want to grab hold of when I am overwhelmed with anxiety, depression, or whatever other negative things life serves up. Then, there are times when okay feels like a ring around my neck that is suffocating my hopes, dreams, and motivation, and I struggle to loosen its grip. Lately, okay has vacillated between being the ring I cling to and the one I fight to free myself from, when all I want is to be okay with being okay. Or should I be okay with that?
I have read many quotes from wise teachers that extol the virtue of being content with where you are in life and being happy with what you have, even when, or especially if, things are not going well. For a long time, I have aspired to both being okay with being okay and being okay with not being okay, and I have felt guilty for the moments when I want more for my life. I also have noticed that when I become okay with being okay, that I tend to become complacent. My wanting more has nothing to do with being ungrateful or selfish, as it has more to do with living up to my potential, wanting to a full, happy, and healthy life for myself and the people I love, and reaching my goals. I am grateful and okay with what I have, yet I am not okay with what remains to be seen and done in my life. I want to change parts of myself and my life to reach my goals and live out my dreams. Is that okay?
That’s another story . . .
Categories: That's Another Story
That's Another Story 
😺 That’s “Okay” by me! Mol!
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Well, then, that makes it okay in my book, too:)
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MOL! 😸 Purrfect!
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Really sometimes “Okay” is the only answer you can give (when asked by a stranger at the grocery store)- unless you want to tell all your business to anyone within hearing distance – but lots of times “Okay” isn’t the truth!
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I couldn’t agree with you more, o wise and catty one:)
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Hehehe!!😹 Love it!
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This post got me thinking as I have always been the eternal optimist and have made the best of things – even bad situations. And yet admitting to myself that things are indeed NOT okay, can be the very first step in making the changes required to improve my life.
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Elizabeth, as usual, we are on the same wavelength, despite being separated by thousands and thousands of miles. Thanks for understanding.
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In a way it’s that one polite answer. Because for whatever reason we don’t want to be too good and we for sure don’t want to complain. And yet we should be honest because what good does it do if we pretend? Maybe it’s that protecting mechanism… Have you heard of that experiment (don’t remember who he was but he wrote a book about it or it was part of his book…) where that guy told people that he feels fantastic or amazing or great and that the reactions of those people were actually almost negative. Either they didn’t believe him or they were offended. Interesting, isn’t it?
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Thank you for sharing this, as it definitely is spot on about it being a protective mechanism and about people responding to a positive response in a negative way. It definitely gives me more to ponder.
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Really thought provoking…
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