From Early Morning Buddhist Inspirations

[sabrinamari]

"Love is the capacity to take care, to protect, to nourish. If you are not capable of generating that kind of energy toward yourself- if you are not capable of taking care of yourself, of nourishing yourself, of protecting yourself- it is very difficult to take care of another person. In the Buddhist teaching, it's clear that to love oneself is the foundation of the love of other people. Love is a practice. Love is truly a practice."

~Thich Nhat Hanh


For me, self-love is not merely self-acceptance or self-esteem. It means that I make sure that I eat well, get enough exercise, and make enough to pay my own bills and take care of my own material needs when it is reasonable to do so.

I am worthy of decent health insurance, good primary and specialty care, a healthy savings account, and a set of career tracks that I love. I am worthy of an income that gives me the ability to save enough for my own retirement, with money left over for the things that bring me sheer joy. I return some of what I receive to those who have less, and I do it with delight.

This does not mean that I always have to make money, no matter what. Sometimes that's just not possible, and that's OK. However, it does mean that my intentions towards myself are strongly positive. When I can do so without severe physical or emotional consequences, I prioritize my own material well-being with gratitude for this marvelous opportunity to thrive.

Comments

Thank you for including me.

[shades-of-nyx.livejournal.com]

Thank you for including the case of "when this is impossible".
I need to re-engineer my thinking for nourishing myself during the time where income isn't possible. I also believe I am worthy of decent health insurance, good primary and specialty care, a healthy savings account, and a set of career tracks that I love. I am worthy of an income that gives me the ability to save enough for my own retirement, with money left over for the things that bring me sheer joy. Yet, at the moment, my physical self prevents my progress toward this goal.
Somehow, I must divorce this material well being from my sense of self-worth, at least for the time being. I learned the above lesson too well, and am now adrift in an unknown sea.
I don't know how to love myself well when I am physically unable to provide for my own basic needs.
I believe the key is in the first quotation "Love is a practice" Thus I am starting at the beginning.
I know who I am:
I am Air,
I am Fire,
I am Water,
I am Earth,
I am All Things,
All Things are me,
I AM the Goddess' perfect child,
and I am Free!

Re: Thank you for including me.

[(Anonymous)]

"Somehow, I must divorce this material well being from my sense of self-worth, at least for the time being. I learned the above lesson too well, and am now adrift in an unknown sea."

Yes. This. I'm working on it. It's hard to break out of the socially-imposed mould, isn't it? I'm considering a funeral of some kind for these feelings. Perhaps consignment to the compost heap, so they can turn into something productive, as a first symbolic step in letting them go.

I will keep haranguing you

[tracyandrook.livejournal.com]

And art dates. You deserve art dates.

Re: I will keep haranguing you

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

Yes, I do. Thursday afternoon may be possible---I'll chek in with my boss on Monday.

Re: I will keep haranguing you

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

If I can get work on my current paper done in the am and return to it in the pm, while Michael is at a Cub Scouts meeting, it may be possible. I want to make sure he has nothing for me to attend in the afternoon first, though.

Re: I will keep haranguing you

[tracyandrook.livejournal.com]

All these gyrations to reserve time...for what, again? What are we going to be doing?