It may not be okay: but comfort is coming

There’s a lot of “it’s going to be okay” messages going around.

In one sense, there’s truth in it. There have been crises before – of differing natures and time periods than this one, with different repercussions – and the world and its humanity are still here. So it’s very likely we – the communal, global we – will be “okay” in that we continue on.

But that’s not what ‘okay’ really means, to each of us individually. It’s certainly not what it means to me.

To “be okay”, although it’s a fairly broad term, tends to mean everything is more or less working the way it’s meant to.

When you fall down, someone asks “are you okay?” (unless that someone is my friend Megan, who falls about laughing her head off first, and THEN through uncontrolled and continued giggles asks if I’m okay).

They don’t mean, “is everything perfect?”, because nothing ever is, and it definitely won’t be when you’ve fallen or scraped an elbow or a knee, or hit your head. The two options at that point are, is everything really bad, or are only a few little things bad?

And when we say “yea, I’m okay”, we mean, I’ve got a few scratches and my head hurts and I might limp for a day, but it’s not really bad. I haven’t broken my leg, I don’t need to go to hospital, I don’t have a concussion.

So where we’re at now in the world is that everything – the global everything – is very much not okay. I don’t need to describe that for you to know what I mean.

We’re all adjusting to it, and most days I’m feeling like I’m actually sort of okay. I’ve got work to do and a house to live in and walks in the woods nearby and friends who check in on me and technology to connect with my family and online church services and clear running water. The list goes on, endlessly, of the good things.

But the weird juxtaposition most of us are in, is that of being both okay and not okay at the same time.

We’re globally very much not okay (everything is really bad), but personally pretty much okay (only some things affecting me are bad).

And the well meaning advice that “everything is going to be okay” is confusing.

Because I’m thinking, well what does that even mean? More people are going to die, and that’s not okay. More of them will be people I know personally, which feels even more not okay. My nephew has cancer and that’s one of the furthest things from okay I can think of, especially as the end result of cancer is very rarely okay.

Yesterday I read a post by Austin Kleon (whose books I love), and he said “Not everything will be okay (but some things will)”, which I thought was a lot more accurate.

And then my Bible reading today included this verse, from one of my favourite Psalms of them all:

“You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You?
You, who have shown me great and severe troubles,
Shall revive me again,
And bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
You shall increase my greatness,
And comfort me on every side.”
Psalm 71

I’ve always liked these verses because they remind me both good and hard things are shown to me by God in my life. He’s done really good, really amazing, really incredible things. He’s also shown me some great and severe troubles – and a few of you on this list know the extent of some of those I haven’t shared.

But here’s the thing. It doesn’t say everything is going to be okay –

– it says comfort is coming.

“Everything” will very much not be okay. For some of us that’s already the case – for others it will be the case in future. The repercussions are long and extensive and may last our whole lives long. They will impact future generations.

But comfort is coming.

Don’t hold out for everything being okay, because you’ll be wildly disappointed, and perhaps already are. But hold out for comfort, because whatever level of ‘okay’ there is or isn’t, we will be seen through it. Comforted.

And with that comfort we will then comfort others. Which feels sort of okay again.

Follow me

ON THE GRAM

Popped into a fave local coffee shop in York this week and this was the mug they gave me. ❤️✨

Wasn’t feeling so superwomanny when I got it - this week was very full, plus period cramps and multiple migraines and my ankle being wonky and more travel than I’ve done in a while. I had intended to get coffee but the cramps were so bad I had to go for mint tea and just sit until they faded enough for me to walk again. 

At the same time, I also had an amazing time during this week with the @weare_pf Board meeting in person for the first time. Getting to know each other better as humans and sharing ideas and making plans and most of all appreciating that the weight of all the business decisions doesn’t rest solely on my shoulders. 

This is just one of your reminders that being a superwoman looks different at different times, and whether you’re striding along strongly or sitting weakly with mint tea, your superwoman status still applies. 

#justkeepgoing #superwoman #muglife #wegotthis #onedayatatime
Every single time I go sailing past this lighthouse on the mull-to-Oban ferry I think “this time I’ll just watch it and not take any pictures” 

And then something wild happens like A SAILBOAT GOES BY and of course I have to capture that, surely I haven’t taken that photo before (spoiler: I have), and then I have about seventeen lighthouse photos to add to my collection of seven thousand lighthouse photos from the last twenty years. 

But, I figure, what’s the harm anyway. It’s my photos and my memories and it brings me joy. I love the lighthouse as a visual of my journey from the mainland to the island (or a reminder I’ll be back soon). 

So, see you soon lighthouse. Thanks for standing there. 

#lismorelighthouse #eileanmusdile #lighthouse #lighthousesofinstagram #oban #ferry #calmac #isleofmull #sailaway #sailboat #scotland #travelscotland
I read. A lot. My list of “books to read” has over 100 titles listed, and every time I mention a book I’ve appreciated, I get another recommendation of a new one and the list gets longer. 

One of the books recommended to me years ago was “The Buddha in Me the Buddha in You”. She mentioned it had some helpful principles about how we navigate life - and whether you’re a buddhist or not, there are principles you can learn from and apply in life.

I wrote it down, forgot about it, and moved on with life. Read lots of other books.

And then when I broke my ankle, and was sitting and resting a LOT, with loads of time for reading, I went back to my list and started reconsidering some of the titles on it.

When I looked up “The Buddha in Me the Buddha in You”, the subtitle was “A Handbook for Happiness”, and that struck me.

Dealing with an injury is difficult. Sad. Wearying. It can be hard to find happiness and every day feels about the same. (Very Groundhog Day.)

So I bought the book, and put it by my bed. I started getting into a pattern of reading a chapter every morning with my coffee.

I thought I’d share some of the principles I appreciated and which are already helping me as I continue to navigate my life right now: 

[the full post on these is too long for an Insta post so click the link in bio or story if u want to read more!]

Thank the spoon - a spoon stirs up the mud in what had appeared to be clear water. Same with life: hard things stir up what you haven’t dealt with yet. So you thank them. “Thank you, spoon”

The Fundamental darkness (FD) - the “Survival Obsessed Self” who responds in a way based on survival but not growth

There’s a gift in the struggle - He describes it visually as “the lotus flower in the muddy pond”. You can focus on the mud, or on the flower, but they’re both there.

Nam - myo - ho - renge - kyo : The happiness soundtrack - I pulled out the core concepts of each of these words as they applied to me, and they are: 

Purpose
Mystery
Potential 
Bloom in the struggle
Flow of life

#karensnotes #buddhainmebuddhainyou #books #reading #happysaturday 

[full note link in bio!]
The snow is swirling the wind is howling IT’S FROZEN OUT THERE 
#snowing #happyspringeveryone #inlikealion