Love Yourself

Categories: Uncategorized Jun 11, 2014

When my son, Luke, was 3, he had a pet lady bug named Chuck. Luke carried Chuck everywhere in the house and he would set him beside his bed when he slept at night. One morning Luke said that he didn't sleep so well because Chuck kept waking him up because he was growling. I will never forget how serious Luke was when he said that. Anyway, one day, as lady bugs do, Chuck passed away.

When I discovered that Chuck was no longer with us, I could see my son carrying Chuck everywhere he went. I could see my son talking and playing with Chuck. And then, unexpectedly, I started to cry. I was crying over a lady bug named Chuck. I didn't love Chuck like Luke did, but I loved Luke, and the thought of him being sad over Chuck made me cry - over a lady bug.

Naturally, I immediately ran outside to my neighbor's rose bushes and found another lady bug. As you know, it was only a very temporary fix. Not only did this lady bug soon die, too, but this lady bug didn't growl.

My only point to this is we will go to great lengths for those that we love. We will hunt for bugs in rose bushes - we will sacrifice our time and our selves for the ones we love the most. We will even sacrifice ourselves for the ones we love a little. Love compels us to go to great length for others.

Should not love then compel us to make sacrifices for ourselves? What I mean is, we should love ourselves, also. We should at least love ourselves enough to take care of our bodies, our minds, our lives. Do you set aside time to move your body and restore yourself, on purpose? Do you consistently take walks through your neighborhood to reset your thoughts? Do you engage in deliberate physical movement: playing, running, frolicking, swimming, hiking, kayaking, and smiling?

All too often many of us neglect ourselves. We give our best efforts, or at least our energy, for our jobs, for our families, or for noble causes, yet we don't give much effort at all for our own health and well being. I am not suggesting that we become selfish and neglect others. I am only suggesting that if we took the time to love ourselves, to keep our bodies healthy, the sacrifices we make for others may actually be easier to make. Our best efforts to love and support others could be even greater than they otherwise would be if we only took a little time to take care of ourselves.

Look, if you are not healthy, if you do not feel good, how many sacrifices for your loved ones can you make? If your best is only 40% as good as it should be, how effective can you be in the lives of others? Self sacrifice - for love - is no less lovely, whether we are healthy or infirmed, however, it could be much more effective if we are healthy and able to give ALL of ourselves.

The point is, take time to love yourself so you can be more effective in the lives of others. Take time to love yourself so you can enjoy this life you have been given to the fullest. Take time to love yourself, so that you have enough energy, or reserve energy, to renew your body and mind after you have given so much of yourself to others and the world.

Love does drive us to do many strange things, even self-sacrifice. But, If there is not much to give, or if there is nothing left of you, how can you give? Every single day, go for a walk, or roll around on the floor for 10 minutes, find something to smile about, practice and play with how well you can move your body. Be deliberate in moving. Learn how to move the way you were designed to move, learn to crawl again, learn to skip again.

GIVE YOURSELF ATTENTION.

Love yourself.

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