Mary O’Malley – We all long for love

We all long to be loved.

Just listen to country songs or notice how many dating sites there are.

So, we search and search and search for love with other people and animals, but really what we are doing is trying to find something to fill the holes in our hearts.

But no matter how much somebody else loves us, it is important to realize that the love we most deeply long for is with ourselves.

To fall in love with ourselves as we are is not easy.  In fact, it is the most challenging thing we will ever do.

Why?

Because we have been taught to put so many parts of ourselves out of our hearts.  If you doubt that, imagine your thoughts are suddenly broadcast over a loud speaker while you are in a public place!  Are you cringing as you hear this?  There is so much inside all of us that we don’t want anybody to see, even ourselves!  We believe there are parts of us that are too much, or not enough, improper, defective, flawed or just plain unacceptable.

Let this startling realization in: there is no such thing as a perfect human being.  We are all a mixture of dark and light.  Our wholeness includes dark and light. The yin and yang symbol points to this truth.

Also, we all have done unskillful things to ourselves and others.  We have all made mis-takes that we don’t want anybody to know about.  And we all have thoughts that we feel we have to hide.  But this doesn’t make you bad or wrong.  It just means you are human.

The most healing and courageous thing you can do is fall in love with yourself as you are.  Or as Alessia Cara says in her powerful and healing song, Scars to Your Beautiful: “You should know you are beautiful just the way you are!”

Falling in love with yourself doesn’t happen overnight, but every moment of meeting yourself in your heart matters.

So be willing today to bring warmth and patience to yourself.  Be willing today to be kind with yourself, even when you think you are unacceptable.

And watch your life change as you more and more fully live from your heart.

SF Source Mary O’Malley May 2018