Love Yourself …. So You Can Pick Yourself Up and Then Help Others Many or perhaps most of my writings are about loving yourself, optimism, forgiveness, taking care of yourself and getting back to the basics ... simplifying. To keep an optimistic, upbeat outlook I surround myself with affirmations in one way or another. I have a plaque that says ‘Are You The Best Example You Can Be’ and a wooden cutout that says simply …’Relax’. I’m not sure it I ‘need’ them anymore but I love them and I try to surround myself with things that warm me. Daily reminders. Just a glance’ll do ya kinda things. I travel with several books, one of which is called ‘You Can’t Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought” by Peter McWilliams. I’ve had this book for at least 15 years but the messages within are like booster shots to me every now and then. I need them far less now but I just love the title of the book and just looking at it makes me smile and breathe. I also have with me ‘The Last Lecture’ by Randy Pausch which I I’ve only read once but just looking at it reminds me of what’s within its pages. A man taken too early and what he does to have his legacy live on in the hearts of his very young children. There’s also the ‘Tao of Pooh’ (actually a gift from my daughter, Meghan) by Benjamin Huff which is just a delightful book comparing Winnie the Pool and his forest friends to Taoism. I also have plain old novels and quick reads, just because … a balanced life is a healthy life. One of the joyous benefits of traveling as I have is learning about and observing a bit about the infrastructures and subcultures in different areas. My son, Sean, in Seattle, is a musician. When I visit him I have opportunities to visit local venues for up and coming musicians. I was in Seattle for a prolonged period of time 2 years ago and had the opportunity to meet a young woman named Pepper Proud at a venue in Ballard, one of Seattle’s communities. She is, I would say, a folk musician. Her voice was so sweet and she had a beautifully calm aura about her so every now and then I tune into what’s new with her music. She struck me then and continues to strike me as one of those young people with an ‘old soul.’ I came upon a song she recently played at the local Independent Public Radio Station in Seattle. It’s called ‘Slow’ and it’s somewhat of a love song to yourself. She sings about things … concepts I’ve written about … but mine nowhere near as beautifully presented as this. A poet I’m not! Here it is …. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have … youtube/watch?v=CDmBSWH7-YY … I hope the link works. You may have to cut and paste ... Im not sure. I’ve not posted any link in my writings but I have tested it out and it should be good to go! After 2 days off I went back to Meghan’s and it was wonderful. Perhaps the most wonderful part about it was that mid-afternoon Meghan told me with a huge smile on her face (we’ve been doing a lot of smiling and laughing together lately) that she is so much more relaxed and less exhausted on the days I’m there. She’s coming off 2 days without me. I love that she talks to me about it. Being a parent is exhausting. Those of us who have done it know. I fixed dinner … one her her recipes … avocado pasta. A relatively simple recipe that I thought I’d have no problems with. The sauce is simple and includes avocado, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, fresh basil, cracked pepper and kosher salt. Simple, right? Well .. it called for a range of garlic … we all love garlic so I hit the high end of the range. And … my garlic cloves were probably twice the size of the cloves they were talking about. Makes me believe they should put the weight in rather than the quantity!! You know when garlic goes from fragrant to burning and biting? Well … I do … and we were all bitten. Thank goodness I had extra couple of avocados as I tried my best to dilute the garlic! At the end of the day, we all ate it, enjoyed it, and now have no worries tonight about mosquitos, fleas, and most importantly, vampies!! Remember to speak nicely to yourself each and every day (not out loud, mind you … people may wonder!). We all need to be lifted up and recognized … and we should be our own biggest fan … for until we truly love ourselves, we can never reach our own potential or fully love others. “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” ~ Buddha “Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.” ~ Veronica A. Shoffstall
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 06:21:02 +0000
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