It's okay to be different.
A meditation inspired by a book written and illustrated by Todd Parr.
It's okay to be missing a tooth or two or three.
It's okay to need some help.
And it's okay to ask for it,
Too.
It's okay to have a different nose.
Long noses,
Short noses,
Crooked noses,
Pointy noses.
Small noses are just right noses,
You see.
It's okay to be a different color.
It's okay to wear a different color.
It's okay to look a different color.
It's okay to feel a different color.
It's even okay to act a different color.
You just be you.
It's okay to have no hair.
It's okay to have toe hair.
It's okay to wave your hair in the air.
It's okay to have big ears,
Small ears,
Floppy ears,
Even poppy ears.
It's okay to have wheels,
Canes,
Crutches,
Chairs,
Walkers.
It's okay to be small,
Medium,
Large,
Or extra large.
It's okay to wear glasses.
It's okay to wear hats.
It's okay to wear a face mask or a pride flag around your back.
It's okay to talk about your feelings,
Whether they're big,
Medium,
Or small.
And it's okay to let them out with a grrr or a roar.
It's okay to eat macaroni and cheese in the bathtub or pizza in the garden.
It's okay to say no to things that don't feel right.
It's okay to stand up for what you believe in.
It's okay to come from different places.
It's okay to share different spaces.
It's okay to be embarrassed,
Feel silly,
Proud,
Or glad.
It's okay to come in last,
To feel left out and a little sad.
It's okay to dance by yourself to the beat of your own special drum.
It's okay to have a pet worm.
It's okay to get a perm.
It's okay to be proud of yourself,
Of all you accomplish each and every day.
It's okay to have different moms.
It's okay to have different dads.
It's okay to be adopted.
And it's okay if home looks a different way,
Too.
It's okay to have an invisible friend.
It's okay to wish for a friend.
It's okay to miss a friend.
It's okay to do something nice for someone.
It's okay to say something nice to yourself.
It's okay to lose your mittens.
It's okay to get mad.
It's okay to do something nice for yourself.
It's okay to say something nice to someone else.
It's okay to help a squirrel collect nuts.
It's okay to sing with birds.
It's okay to have different kinds of friends.
It's okay to make a wish.
It's okay to be different.
You are special and important because of being who you are.
All the okay in me sees all the okay in you.
Love,
Todd and Miss Brooke.
