Self-Love This Week

Self-love is the road toward healing. These prompts are an invitation to step inside yourself. Rupi Kaur

The story of the Vulture by Sid Simon: What is vulture food? Why is this story about self-love?

Please excuse this if it isn't the Sid Simon version of the story, as I have been telling it for so many years now that I'm not sure how far off it may be:

As small children, we feel pretty good about ourselves. As time goes by there start to be comments like, "You are so slow. You are fat/skinny! You are stupid." Etc. That is vulture food.

The vulture is flying well above our head waiting to be fed. As time passes and we hear more and more of those comments and others, we believe them. The vulture is getting so fat now.

As we age, we need no one else to tell us those things because we are feeding that vulture by saying those same things and worse to ourselves. And now the vulture is bopping us on top of the head.

Self-Love is missing when we get to this point and what do we do to turn this around?

We reach up and say "Pluck you vulture!" And we continue to say that until we stop saying those things. Eventually we do stop. Then there is room for self-love!

Rupi Kaur's Self-Love Writing Prompts - Think back to your childhood, and write down a conversation you wish a parent or guardian had with you that would have made all the difference.

Dear One,

As you read this, please know that I love and care about you. There will be times in your life when you don't feel good about yourself. Most of the time it is temporary. It will be important for you to shake that off.

Take some time to muck around in those feelings because feelings aren't good or bad, they just are. Don't stay there, however. Start a gratitude list when feeling down. What do you have to feel grateful for? What do you love about yourself?

Any questions?

Grandma

Dear Grandma,

I already feel so bad about myself that I can't imagine ever feeling truly good about myself! Some things have helped, but how long does this take? I feel like this is how it is going to be for the rest of my life!

Dear One

~

Dear One,

It may feel like it will last forever but it won't. And it is important to just take it day by day. We can get frustrated if we don't stay in today. We think about all the things said and done in the past, and we worry about everything that could happen tomorrow or even next year!

I used the serenity prayer and I would say it as long as I needed to in one day! It worked and I will say it only occasionally now! It is so very important to stay in today!

Grandma

Rupi Kaur's Self-Love Writing Prompts - It's okay to have downtime because _________________.

Studies show that when taking down time, you actually get more done. I have been retired since 2016 and I continue to work part-time. I've thought for many years that it would be a good idea to cut Elders hours to 30 per week in their mid fifties.

Due to their length of time in the work place, they can usually get more done because they have found the shortcuts and gotten rid of obstacles at their job. Many would prefer that to a raise.

As I have aged, I have wanted more downtime. I don't always take it and I do have trouble saying no and can get overbooked because of that. I try to do it all and then get overwhelmed.

It takes me longer to recover after the same 3 days of training I have been doing since 2009. Aging.

Rupi Kaur's Self-Love Writing Prompts - Pick someone you have a conflict with right now. For a moment, forget the issues you have with them and write about why they deserve love and kindness.

My husband and I are following different political parties. It wasn't always that way. He changed for two reasons he said, "He doesn't believe in abortion is his main reason and he would like less government involvement in laws and peoples lives.

Because it is that time of the year, we can not talk politics at all. He will turn the channel when I enter the room if he is watching his news. Most of the time I decide about an argument based on the question, "Is it worth my serenity?" And most of the time it is not.

If we make it past the elections we will be fine and I have no plans to end our marriage over this issue. We have too many other things that keep us together. He deserves my love and kindness as I deserve his love and kindness!