How does my nephew know I love him? He knows because I care enough to want to be with him and I make the effort to do so. It’s not what I say, it’s what I care enough to DO. The same is true in my relationship with myself.
How do I love me? Let me count the ways!
How do I know that I love myself? I practice self-care when I take the time to listen to myself, to honor myself, to spend time with myself. Self-care is when I take time to play, to meditate, to listen to the inner voice. Self-care is living aligned with Love. Self-care is living to express my heart’s desire, not to make ends meet. I care for myself when I spend my days in activities that feed my soul.
According to Peter McWilliams, “Nonviolence toward the self is caring for oneself. Self-love is a crowning sense of self-worth … It is what the Greeks call reverence for the self.”
It can be easy for me to get lost in all of the activities of life. In all that busy doing, doing, doing I can lose track of really caring for myself. This essential loving self-care is something only I can do for myself. If I don’t do it, it doesn’t get done. If I don’t take care of myself then I’m not really practicing non-violence, I’m giving it lip service. I’m interested in HEART service, not lip service!
In Masterful Living 2013 we’re learning to love ourselves with ease and grace – by healing all the unloving beliefs and choices – it’s amazing how much you can accomplish in one year when you’re willing!
Affirmation:
I gracefully practice self-care and self-love.
