It is at the edge of a petal that love waits
~ William Carlos Williams
I love me...I love me not...........I love me...
I have come to realize that almost every issue that I face in this life usually comes down to self love. When I am struggling with something, I try and remember to ask myself....am I coming from love, or fear? Almost every emotion stems from one of these. And more often than not, fear is the one that comes up for me. But as I am becoming more aware, I am choosing love... for the world at large, but especially for myself.
But I want to take it to a deeper level. I don't want to band-aid life's struggles with a hot bath or the distraction of a good book. Although these are things are nurturing, and make me feel better temporarily, the kind of love that I am talking about requires me to stretch a little further...go into the pain or the fear and wander around in there for a while....explore these familiar surroundings and learn more about myself and the way I cope with the heaviness of life. Without the help of that persistent and annoying self critic. Oooh, she can be nasty.
So I want to ask you....
Do you love yourself? I mean really love your insides? Do you have a nurturing part of yourself that takes care of the more sensitive and tender You? I invite you to share with me....what do you do to really take care of all the different parts of yourself that so crave your attention?
Pluck the last petal for your beloved You.
I smiled when I read you say a bath is nurturing, but not love. yes,yes, yes - a gift to ourselves, a stopping the madness for a moment, but no substitute for the hard stuff. And for me - you will laugh, but 'tis true - I have at last given myself permission to stop trying so hard. To stop searching for joy - my God, we look so hard and pay for classes to show us the way, we women must be such an unhappy lot - to relax into whatever the day brings, to accept that I will not be cheery or even nice all the time. That all sounds crazy and wrong, and perhaps I will blog about it, flesh it out a bit more, but the more I stop analyzing and soul searching, the kinder I am to myself.
ReplyDeleteSorry. Such a too-long response. I will blog about this and link back to you as my inspiration when I do.
Love you!
xoxo
Debi
Hello dear Jaime!
ReplyDeleteI like to believe that I do take care of my inner self. For me that is asking for help when I need it, letting myself cry when I need to, letting myself be sad (but only for so long) when I need to, and always saying 'no' when I don't want to do something and not letting myself feel guilty about it.
I have been working on my 'worrying' as that is the biggest thing holding me back right now. I think as humans we have to always grow, change and evolve. I am starting a college course in another week ~ I am feeding my creative inner self right now! :)
Hope you had a wonderful summer Jaime ~ so happy to see you back! :)
xo Catherine
its really what i learned over the past four years as i was forced in grief to really pay attention to what it was i needed ... i learned not only to love myself but what that looked like for me and that has made all the difference in my life ... love you beauty, xoxox
ReplyDeleteI struggle with this. I have moments when I feel love for myself, but it's not an easy, reassuring love. It's not the steady love I feel for my husband or the comforting love I feel for my cats. And I don't feel it all the time. I'm very, very hard on myself.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good post to think on. You always give us those. Thanks, dear one. xoxo
Should be an easy question with an easy answer. I think I struggle with the same issues..all of the time. I'm harder on myself than on anyone else...and altho I'd like to think I'm coming from a place of self-love and compassion..fear usually rules. So - I bow to you - as you choose the path of love..over fear. Will look forward to seeing where it takes you!!!
ReplyDeleteThis requires some thought. I don't really know my answer, which means I need some work.
ReplyDeleteit's been a struggle to learn to love myself and accept that sometimes taking care of myself can seem selfish to others who i've had to begin to say a kind no to in order to take that care. i've had to learn that setting priorities that include time for myself is ok and that i still care give care and love to others, often in a happier, warmer and more delighted manner because i don't feel deprived or neglected.
ReplyDeletedebi said it perfectly.
ReplyDeleteand once i figured out that i will never be perfect, loving myself became so much easier.
i basically have a "take me as i am" attitude and if that isn't good enough....move on....because this is who i am and this is all i've got.
oh....and i learned to say no....that helped me love myself, too.
I'm working on this. It's hard. I've spent so much of my life judging myself, and oftentimes really disliking myself, that self-love does not come easy...
ReplyDeleteCxx
Your posts are always so thought-provoking and right now this particular post speaks to some things going on in my own life. Truer words have never been spoken. Beathtaking photo for sure!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, Jaime. I love your breathtaking honesty. So, since you asked... here's my honest answer:
ReplyDeleteYes, oh yes, I love myself. What's more? I like myself. Very much. That is not to say that I don't struggle with insecurities from time to time or that I'm a Pollyanna. I'm not an oblivious nincompoop either. I could list my faults and flaws. I have them galore. It's just that I know that I am so much more than those things.
I was loved, loved, loved as a child. Not ridiculously pampered as though I could do no wrong. My parents knew my faults, and loved me anyway. I am loved, loved, loved as an adult. Not because I am perfect, but because I am blessed. And, because I pick well. (Jeffrey is truly a wonder.)
Most of all, I know my Father who loves me. Do I think I am worth more than anyone else? Of course not. Do I think I deserve all I've been given? A big no on that one, too. I love myself because I know not just who I am, but Whose I am. That's all I need.
that flower is so pretty and so sad sometimes the beauty of the beauty is about not perfect
ReplyDeletealways always read your blog make me feel calm and warm. also, make me think love your blog
ReplyDeleteI reached a point in my life where I was forced to think about how much inattention I gave myself. I've been trying hard at loving myself, skin deep and deeper within too. It feels good. Although I am still confused as to what separates self love from selfishness. I've patted myself on the back for handling situations, people well and for learning to say NO when I feel I'm being used.
ReplyDelete