This week my version of Rudyard Kipling's beautiful poem "If" was chosen to be performed on my local BBC radio station in honour of International Men's Health Day. I decided to post it below for anyone here who may need a reminder that a "man" is anything and anyone they want to be. There is no definition or standard.

If you are feeling lost,
When all around you appear to be found
If you're both overwhelmed with silence
And drowned out by all the sound;
If you can breathe, in and out, just breathe
No questions answered, no reprieve
No safe harbour, no battles fought
Then you've learned more than what your father taught.

If you are kind,
in a world that hatred tears apart.
If you show love,
in a world that's lost it's heart
If you have honour
When honour is not rewarded
Then the man you are
Is a man worth applauding.

If you wake up, another day before you
And fight, till there's nothing left to give
And get up, when hiding would be easier
And find the strength inside you just to live.
If you can smile at all the good times or cry when things go bad;
And can accept you have emotions
And know how to handle being mad,
Then the man you have become is more than you hoped you'd ever be

If you are filled with uncertainty
Confusion, anxiety, doubts.
If you're lost amongst expectations
Of "what a man" is all about
If you're just filled with yearning
For a place that you belong
If you feel you've fought the battle
But the war is far from won
Then believe me, you are a man my son.

#MightyPoets #MensHealth #MentalHealth #SuicideAwareness #Depression #Anxiety #ItsOKMan #ItsOkNotToBeOk #if #BBC #CheckInWithMe #MightyTogether #Hope #StopTheStigma #youareaman