I hope your day is filled with love and hugs and all kinds of other mushy stuff. And most especially be sure to give a bunch of that love to your own self. "Self! I love you! You are so special and so beautiful! Thank you for being awesome."
Hopefully you smiled while reading that rather than rolling your eyes. If instead you thought about all the reasons you are not awesome, please read on.
"When you see the heart you will know what to do."
It's an excerpt from: The Parent's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents by William Martin which just so happens to be great advice for raising children AND living with other adults AND being with ourselves.
It's an excerpt from: The Parent's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents by William Martin which just so happens to be great advice for raising children AND living with other adults AND being with ourselves.
Here is the passage edited with a focus on looking to ourselves (rather than how the author wrote it as a focus on children):
Some behavior in yourself will seem "good" to you.
Other behavior will seem unequivocally "bad."
Notice both in yourself
without being overly impressed by one
nor overly dismayed by the other.
In doing so you will be imitating the Tao
which sees our behavior as a mask
and sees immediately beneath it
to the good within our heart.
Above all, do not attack your behavior
and attempt to change it by endless talking and scolding.
Stay at your center and look beneath the behavior
to your heart.
There you will find only good.
When you see the heart
you will know what to do.
I find this passage so immensely powerful. It gives me a path away from self criticism. It gives me a way to love the parts that I initially call out as "bad." When I see my heart, I can do nothing but love myself even more.
I am here to tell ya, that this stuff is real and powerful. And more importantly, at least for me, is that it's peaceful. I get to think about all kinds of other fun things when I set myself free from trash talking.
Give it a whirl: "Happy Valentine's Day to me." "I love being me."
Thanks for reading my post. I sincerely hope you enjoy your magical Valentine's day.
I am here to tell ya, that this stuff is real and powerful. And more importantly, at least for me, is that it's peaceful. I get to think about all kinds of other fun things when I set myself free from trash talking.
Give it a whirl: "Happy Valentine's Day to me." "I love being me."
Thanks for reading my post. I sincerely hope you enjoy your magical Valentine's day.
