I've been thinking a lot about my life and the many seasons I've been through.
Childhood, early marriage, young motherhood (bless my soul), and now The Middle Place (as I prefer to call it, since the term "middle-aged" just needs to go away).
I've been thinking about how many things I've seen and experienced.
About how hard I've always tried to check all the "right" boxes and do all the "right" things, despite life throwing so many curve balls. (Honestly, I think I should be a professional baseball player by now.)
I've been thinking about what I would say to my past self. What I would say to make it all just feel a little bit better.
And without a doubt, and without hesitation, I would tell me to love myself more.
Pure, honest, compassionate, love - directed emphatically, yet ever-so-gently inward.
I would tell myself that self-love isn't tacky, selfish, egocentric, or arrogant.
That loving myself wouldn't make me love others any less.
That's not how love works.
Authentic, honest love has a magical way of multiplying, not dividing.
So today, as I go through all the changes that are happening right now in The Middle Place, I am committed to being kinder to myself.
No more mental torture.
No more obsessive perfectionism.
No more comparison.
It's enough.
And if it just so happens that I do fall into those traps again (which I most definitely will),
I will love myself, even still.
(The concepts in this blog post do not replace the need for proper mental health care. If you are experiencing mental illness, please seek help through a licensed mental health professional.)
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