In connection with love, Leo Buscaglia says, “You can’t give what you don’t have.” I have been learning to love myself for some time now. What I know is that, even as adults, we learn by repetition. Sometimes we see something or read something and it is meaningless to us. At a later point in our life we might encounter the same thing and it will feel like the biggest light bulb just went off in our heads! Then, once we finally hear or see the concept, we have to hear and see it over and over before it becomes truly a part of us.

This is what it has been like to learn to love myself. Its like ALMOST understanding something, but not quite. Some days I get it and some days I’m totally lost. Its also like potty training my children. We do the same things day in and day out for what seems like centuries and then one day they just go. They get it and it becomes a part of their lives.

Lately, I’ve really been getting it. I’m sure that you’ve all heard this suggestion, but, if you’ve never tried it, take a moment, look yourself directly in the eye in the mirror and say, “I love you, ________” and insert your name in the blank. I do this every day even on the days when its hard to do.

The beautiful thing about loving myself is that I feel so FREE! I’m free to do whatever I want and it enables me to love others just the way that they are without any judgment. I have discovered that the things that I have judged about other people are things that I either saw in myself or feared that I might become.

Did I mention here that I’ve begun to draw? All of my life I have believed that I can’t draw. But now, since I love everything about myself, I love to look at my drawings. I draw in my journal and it has become a joy to page back through the pictures and relish the colors and lines. There is no right or correct way to do it, because its just done for my enjoyment. So I draw wildly colorful angels and green and purple moons.

The funny thing is that my oldest son and daughter saw me drawing one day and my son said, “Mom, I thought you said that you couldn’t draw. That’s awesome!” My daughter loves to draw and I always encourage her and she said, “Yeah, mom. I think you’re better than me!”

The fact is, maybe I still can’t draw to anyone’s standards, but I truly find beauty in my sketches and I believe that just because I SEE it, my children saw it too. We create our own reality in ways that are hard to imagine! Hoping health and wellness to all!
Cheryl