“Is everything okay?”

Three individually very ordinary words, put together and said with care, become three magical words. Someone once asked me this when they had no idea what I was going through. I was speaking with them as my everyday self, just being myself in a conversation with them like the previous times we have spoken. Yet those words penetrated through a lot of layers.

To give some context, I was taking some help from this very kind friend of mine. And I am usually good at explaining things firsthand what the other person might be seeking to know and would be ready to answer questions. But he asked me this and I was taken aback and then I sort of collected myself and quickly said “Yes! Everything is okay…”

I knew everything was not okay, but did I realize that after he asked me? Or I knew it but I was wondering how he knows it. Or I was thinking that perhaps he is a very kind boy who asks this to check on how someone is doing. It made me think a lot after our conversation ended.

I was not completely okay because it was a difficult time for me in terms of some questions such as where am I going to be in the next few days, where am I going to live, hoping things at work to settle down, etc. Trying my best to stay calm and positive. But that was not anything new. I knew it very well. Why was his question embossed on my thoughts and mind? It made me acknowledge that even if everything is not okay, it is still fine. There is someone thoughtful enough to ask me this. And maybe I — someone who is thoughtful towards others, could also be a little more thoughtful towards myself.

Fast forward about 2.5 years, I smile whenever I remember this. And yes, I also try to ask this to myself at times and reassure that even if it doesn’t seem okay, it will be. Everything is exactly how it is supposed to be at this moment. A beautiful thought to hang on to and believe in.