M U S E U P O N T H I S
Love yourself as your neighbor...
Do you really love yourself as much as you do others? If you did, you would take great care of yourself. Do you find time for everything... except yourself? Here's your test:
Do you treat your body like the magnificent temple it is?
Feeding it nourishing food, regular exercise, and plenty of rest?
Do you nourish your spirit with activities that move your soul?
Regularly connecting deeply and profoundly with wonderful you?
Do you give yourself time to laugh, play, and giggle?
Do you nourish your mind with rich images, beautiful words, and ideas that expand your horizons?
We always find time for everything that is important to us.
Don't kid yourself, we all do. Do you find time for you?
Okay, this is a long one...8 minutes and 14 seconds. It is worth every minute.
I dare you to watch the whole thing and challenge your own feelings for yourself.
The world deserves to have you be in love with yourself! Enjoy!
Related Posts:
- I love me! (Yep, I wrote on this topic twice -- it's a good one!)
- Seek Pleasure
- We are what we need to be
Loving myself enough to find time for myself has been my work for a couple of years now. I was shocked by the realization when a colleague mentioned a time when she was so thoughtless and careless toward herself, she actually forced herself to work through hunger, thirst, and having to go to the bathroom! I did that ALL THE TIME and never thought about it and certainly didn't consider it as a sign of not caring for myself. But I also realized that I put my personal practice at the end of my list of "to dos" and often didn't take the time to create a nourishing meal. This month my Yoga Teacher group is studying compassion. I asked each to set an intention for the month. I was shocked to see EVERY ONE chose to set an intention of showing herself compassion (at least as much as she is others.) Guess I am not alone in treating myself well!
Posted by: MuseLaura | January 16, 2011 at 05:15 PM
I think you have to always choose compassion for yourself. Regardless of how much you care about yourself or how much you do to care for yourself, if you are a caregiver it is a constant. I find it's easiest to start the day that way. Making myself first everyday.
I had the most blessed parents. My Mom and Dad always put everyone before themselves. It has taken me years to understand how they were able to do this and I wasn't. I believe that their love and care for each other was so great that loving each other was like loving themselves, I believe that they both needed each other to be who they were separetly, so they could be who they were together. We don't all have that kind of love in our lives. Sometimes we are alone, I believe that not every relationship can be this way and if it isn't it doesn't mean it's flawed. I am not even sure if socitiey can support that kind of relationship anymore. I just know that it was that way for them.
I on the other hand grew up thinking that if everyone else happy, I will be also. I was 40 before I figured out that, that didn't work. It was a very long very hard road. I am honored to have traveled it, I am thankful that I can teach my children this lesson. I don't think that my parents taught me this, I think I watched them and thought that that was what they were doing. I was to young to understand that they were also caring for themselves. I am very deliberate in teaching this to the young people around me and lovingly support the adults that are finding their way.
Posted by: Tamie | January 17, 2011 at 08:44 AM
Quite a call to action. Knowing how to take care of oneself is not the same as doing so. I will accept the nudge to care with awareness of myself more.
Something that won't change is this inclination which has become natural:
Kind thougts and wishes for all beings.....
DO
Posted by: Dan O'Brien | January 17, 2011 at 11:49 AM