SELF-LOVE

"This post I wrote for you Grandpa, the model, my model of true love."

"I was looking for something to write about it, an old friend told me, write about self-love, well, how could I not talk about grandpa, the man that showed me to never settle for less than pure love"

"The only person who can pull me down is myself, and I'm not going to let myself pull me down anymore."

C. JoyBell C.

"how you love yourself is

how you teach others

to love you."

Rupi Kaur, Milk and Honey

"If you have the ability to love, love yourself first."

Charles Bukowski

"Your time is way too valuable to be wasting on people that can't accept who you are."

Turcois Ominek

"Being different is a revolving door in your life where secure people enter and insecure exit."

Shannon L. Alder

"There are seasons in life, and sometimes you just have to stop everything and remember the good people, the ones who made you be who you are."

Grandpa used to tell me that; you have a control in your hands, this control has the power to light up your lamp, and you should never, ever give it to anybody else.

Maybe, or for sure, that is self-love, the power to hold your control and let your lamplight, while people are constantly trying to steal it from you.

So, this is my story, sharing with the world.

One day, grandpa tried to explain how beautiful it was to be different and be who you are, so he told me this little story.

"Once upon a time, in the highest mountain, there was a beautiful field full of flowers, like on a perfect lawn, they were all the same, shining through the sun, the same stature, the same colors, the same smell, nothing was different about them. So, onde day a person, planted a beautiful rose in the middle of that camp, and she grew up; she was beautiful. But the other's flowers didn't accept that; they started to judge her..why. Are you taller? Why are your colors different from us? Why this? Or look, you have thorns. That Rose, could not see it, how precious and unique she was, while she was listening to all of that voices. Then, because of so much criticism and hate around her, she withered, lost her colors, and dried out, her petals fall into the ground, and she dyed. So, one day, the strong wind passed through the camp of flowers and spread out her seeds all over that field. And the seasons changed, and the field was full of roses, between the other's flowers, now that camp was beautiful, like no other camp. And the other's flowers recognizer how beautiful was Rose. They all became good friends, now there's the same amount of Rose's to defend themself, but they rather shine".

So let me tell you one thing dear, while all of that flowers were pointing out that Rose's flaws, making her think there's something wrong with her, the wind and nature, planted a lot more in that field, was nature telling to that flowers, you can have your thorns, so no any random person thinks is easy to pull you off of the ground. You can have your differents colors, strong ones, so no one can find one like you easy, and you can just be yourself, in a field where the flowers all want to be the same.

So, after he told me that story, I could understand a little better. When, in fact, it's a blessing to be different.

Maybe like that Rose, we strive to fit in a world, thinking there's something wrong with us, but nature made no mistake when she gifts the mother earth with you. She did you, precisely the way you're supposed to be, with your colors, your flaws, your way, the things you like and don't like. And it's easy to fall into the trap of fitting in everywhere, to please someone. Well, if you're a rose, be a rose, if you're an orchid, be one, a sunflower, Aconitum, African Daisy, Agapanthus, Allium roseum, Alstroemeria, Alyssum, whoever flower you are, do not let a camp of random flowers kill you, your stronger power is be just who you are. And it's an easy thing to do, is fall into that trap of fitting everywhere, when you were not born to fit everywhere. But you must see it and believe it in yourself.

I keep thinking, maybe, if Rose had lifted her eyes and shut that voices, she could have lived, but the wind and nature, multiple her, spreading her seeds, making a lot more roses in that mountain grown.

"So, thank you, grandpa, for that beautiful story that you told me, for remind me, that you do not need to put a flower down to feel better, the true self-love, has no need to put other's down to see their own worth."

"If you celebrate your differentness, the world will, too. It believes exactly what you tell it—through the words you use to describe yourself, the actions you take to care for yourself, and the choices you make to express yourself. Tell the world you are a one-of-a-kind creation who came here to experience the wonder and spread joy. Expect to be accommodated."

― Victoria Moran, Lit From Within: Tending Your Soul For Lifelong Beauty

"The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself."

― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Do not let anyone turn off your own light; do not give this power to anyone.

Lenny 🌻

🥀 🌹 🌸 🌺