It’s okay to face life’s challenges! (Sound familiar Alan?) I have a friend that I worked with for several years and when we ran up against challenges, he used to say musically and light-heartedly, “It’s okay!” Because of his encouraging little mantra, and after hearing his repetitive chorus, my little Alan guy props up on my shoulder from time to time and echoes, “it’s okay” whenever I run into challenges or interruptions in my normal, happy little routines. He’s a great little companion.

Now that I’m retired, the pressures I feel are mostly my self-imposed, but they do still create little stresses from time to time. My smiling Alan pipes up and reminds me to let the small stuff fall by the wayside and focus on what’s most important. Suddenly, my tension eases and peace resonates from within, and quickly I’m able to get myself back on track with the mindful living I strive to achieve.

One toilet in my house recently rendered itself cantankerous, requiring a $3,000 expense we weren’t counting on. One option was to cripple with stress about it, and while I was having those thoughts, cheerful Alan popped up saying, “It’s okay!” Ah yes! It’s okay! We can deal with this! Even though this was an unexpected turn of events, I quickly resolved to accept the inevitable and made plans to address the issue. In a matter of a few moments, the crisis reverted to a plausible plan.

When I’m getting into a writing groove, an interruption surfaces — derailing my flow train. While the interruption is sometimes frustrating, It’s-Okay-Alan whispers in my ear. I deal with the issue at hand and my focus returns. Oh, what a champion friend to have in my corner!

This little missive, while delightful for me to imagine and play with, might have a little golden nougat of wisdom to enlighten your path. It’s okay! I venture a guess that my friend Alan would not even mind if you were to invent your own It’s-Okay-Alan for your stress-managing arsenal. Who knew I’d have this dependable guide for so many years?