There’s A Reason For Living Poem
When a cool wind is in your hair
On a warm summer’s day
There’s a reason for living
Everything is okay
When a refreshing shower
Trickles all over your body
There’s a reason for living
Everything is okay
When your find your favourite food
And savour every mouthful
There’s a reason for living
Everything is okay
When the air that you breathe
Is fresh and crisp after rain
There’s a reason for living
Everything is okay
When you wake up in the morning
To greet a new day
There’s a reason for living
Everything is okay
When your heart skips a beat
With gratefulness and love
There’s a reason for living
Everything is okay
When you touch a loved one
Furry or not
There’s a reason for living
Everything is okay
When you smile all the time
And others smile back
There’s a reason for living
Everything is okay
When you are kind to yourself
And live to learn
There’s a reason for living
And you are okay
I have been touched by several stories in the last 12 months from people who have suffered from a terminal illness, mental health issues and the challenges of growing older and the loss of physical capacity. As I too grow older, I realise that if I am to enjoy each day, I need to acknowledge what I do have, what I can do and how I can find joy, even if I cannot do some of the things that I may have done when I was younger (for example, my current body does not like jogging).
I also know that to remain ‘green and growing’ rather than ‘ripe and rotting,’ I need to constantly find ways to learn more, reconnect with the joys of my youth that I will be able to do for my entire life and interact with the people around me (and I may have to go out of the house to find people). This takes consistent effort and I know that for some people, without a personal champion cheering them on, it can be difficult to muster the courage to keep striving and to keep learning.
I hope that this small poem encourages you to see that everything is okay (even when it feels like it isn’t), that even in the midst of a major challenge, there are always things you can enjoy and that ultimately, if you are kind to yourself and willing to learn, you will realise that you are okay too.
With love, Sue Ellson 🙂
Photo is from Litchfield National Park, Northern Territory, Australia on 7 October 2017
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