"Are you okay?" The one question everyone has been asked at least a million and one times in their lives. The one question we all normally answer with "I'm fine." The question we all answer falsely because we are "programmed" to always say we are okay, we are fine. My goal with this piece is to tell you it is okay not to be "okay".

We all have our own demons. Some we were born with. Some we collected as we got older. We get to know our demons. They are a part of our overall being, they make you, you and me, me. Some days are worse than others. You just want to be alone and not see anyone, You want to scream at the top of your lungs and cry until you no longer can. You're not okay. Someone notices. "Are you okay?" You say "no". You should be honest with yourself. Let off some steam. You don't. "I'm fine." That's not okay. It's not okay to deny your humanistic right to feel sad, upset, hurt, broken, etc. Your negative emotions have the same equivalent to your positive emotions. As much as you go around telling everyone about your fantastic day you should also tell someone how awful you are feeling. It is okay not to be okay.

Being emotional, feeling unhappy or upset is a hidden "frowned upon" image society has set up. We move away from the girl crying in the hall instead doing what we should do. Ask her what is wrong. But that would mean admitting something is wrong. How would that make her feel? Would she lash out? Would she cry harder? Would she feel close to you because you are showing a type of care she has yet to experience? Why is this terrifying for us? It shouldn't be.

We all are born innocent beings, having yet to experience the hardships of this beautifully, ignorant place we call Earth. We all receive the same blank slate. Somewhere along our journey we experience the "ignorant" parts of this beautiful world. We receive burdens and hurt from the people we love or who we thought we loved. We take on so much more than "we should for our age". But it is who we are. This is the definition of Bobby, Joe, Sarah, and Thomas. We all experience our own "not okays", so we should all be able to relate to one another in some type of way.

So the next time you see that random girl crying in the hall ask her what is wrong. The next time you feel like you can't get out of bed because you are so physically, emotionally, and mentally broken, tell someone, anyone willing to listen. It's okay not to be okay, and that's amazing.