You do not have to be good.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.

Mary Oliver was a queer poet living in New York City in the 1960s and 70s. Often in her work there’s a theme of looking to nature as a reminder of how to live a good life, one of mindful reflection and gratitude, compassion for yourself and for others.

Lines from her poem, Wild Geese, often occupy my mind. Like a skipping record, I’ll repeat the first line over and over until I feel I believe it.