A Panda Bear’s Story

It’s ok not to be ok sometimes…this too shall pass.Photo by Debbie Molle on Unsplash

There lives a bear in the Forest of Mind,

Caring, nurturing and kind,

When life gets rough and wrecked,

She resorts to her cave to contemplate and reflect.

It’s ok to feel

sadness, anger, happiness, stress and grief

She knows that at the end of the dark tunnel there will be relief

All her emotional experiences are valid and accepted

It’s ok to feel uncomfortable and disconnected

She has learnt that life is full of highs and lows

As they say what you choose to focus on grows.

So she focuses on the small wins and gains,

showing appreciation for all that remains.

She is scared of failure and rejection,

striving every day for perfection

But then she realises, looking at her broken paws,

that she will be accepted by her loved ones despite her flaws.

She knows she can go through it because she has done it before

Life is an opportunity to fall, rise again, learn and explore

She leans on her friends for help and protection,

As she waits patiently working on her imperfections.

Thank you for reading this poem. I have written this poem to send an important message that despite the rainbows and sunshine, there will be rainy days in life when either we or our loved ones will have to deal with lots of uncomfortable emotions and stress. It is really important that we show compassion to ourselves and our loved ones when going through these tough times. Validating and accepting our own and their feelings as well as showing love and appreciation can go a long way. It is also important to respect ourselves and our loved ones and give them space and time if they need to deal with their emotions. Everything in life is a process, and it takes time so there is no need to rush this process.“What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?”
― Erin Hanson
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A Panda Bear’s Story was originally published in ILLUMINATION on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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