There are a hundred paths through the world that are easier than loving. But, who wants easier? Mary Oliver
I love Mary Oliver. Her gift is reminding us to see and feel the beauty around us. To be still where we are, and to be astonished by it all.
Mary is right. There are a hundred paths we can take that is easier than loving ourselves or others and yet, this is exactly what we all want and need.
Self-love is the answer
Learning to fully love ourselves and our life is a full-time job. It requires a conscious effort each day. When we cannot love and accept every part of ourselves, we will continue to attract those who feel the same, and this continues our cycle and search.
It is the absence of self-love, that anxiously focuses our efforts on getting, or waiting for others to give us what we “must” or “should” have. Only then do we believe we will feel loved, accepted and valued.
If we do not love ourselves for all that we are (and are not), is it reasonable to expect the others can do so?
My practice for ‘Mindful Loving’
Remember to be kind to yourself and nurture your needs
Become conscious of your thoughts coming in and let go of your fears
Practice accepting and loving each moment as it is
Understand that you are love. You do not need to search for this in other people or things.
Feel love and appreciation in everything you think, do, and say.
Love the food you eat. Love the work you do. Love every moment you are alive.
Each time we consciously do this, we connect to the vibration of love.
Self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological and spiritual growth.
When we truly love ourselves, we also bring out the same qualities in those around us.
LIVING IN THIS MOMENT 
It takes a bit of understanding, yet we need to love ourselves and be strong before we can help others.
I agree Elizabeth, I don’t think we ever stop working on self-love. Over time, I realise this has helped me in all my relationships.
Thank you Karen. I love yours and Mary’s perspective! Love isn’t easy, and self love perhaps the hardest of all. Yet when we find it we become free to be truly ourselves.
xo
It is a freedom to live our truth Val!. It seems to be the hardest of all, but certainly the most important. 🙂
I love Mary’s poetry and your reminders. I’ve been learning to love myself more the last few years, accepting more of my whole person, being gentle and compassionate. Thanks, Brad
That is so good to hear Brad. I think we all understand how difficult that can be at times. Each time we nurture and love ourselves, we connect more deeply to each other. Thankyou. 🙂
Thanks!
As always, your writing is spot on and thanks for the breath of Mary Oliver, I love her writings as well.
She is very inspiring! and always reminds to look deeply. Thankyou 🙂
Loving oneself is part of healthy living. It is difficult to make better choices in life if we don’t love and respect ourselves. As we begin to understand and practice these truths, our personalities can broaden bringing our senses to new levels of fulfillment. The beauty is these levels can grow infinitely with our efforts. This is an important subject for all of us to understand. You articulate these sentiments with compassion.
Well said. Over time, self-love does broaden our connection and passion in life. It is the gift we give to ourselves that reflects in everyone around us. Thankyou.
Thank you for your post, Karen. Wise words, and as usual, right on time.
It’s nice to know we are in sync! Have a lovely day MK. 🙂
Thank you!
Your welcome Emilie. 😉
Thank you for your beautiful way to explain self love and care at Karen. It is the most difficult to do, but worth it.
As long as we continue to love and nurture ourselves, we will always move forward. Thankyou Irene.
self-love. sleep. and fiji. Are the answers.
Ah you are now enlightened! 😇
Ah! Karen! Yes…this is possibly the key to unraveling all that we need to know…the first step…the last step? Maybe the middle as well….Thank you for keeping something so important in my mind on this day 🙂 Have a beautiful weekend coming up ❤
Beautifully said Lorrie. I think you are right. It is perhaps every step along our journey. Have a wonderful weekend too. 🙂
I’m not very familiar with Mary Oliver’s writings but now I want to read more. 🙂 We tend to be our harshest critics, don’t we? I’ve fallen into that trap quite a bit, but try keeping in mind every moment is a fresh start and I’m thankful to be here.
You will like her work Elizabeth. I think we all fall into the self-critic trap. Hopefully with practice, we learn to see it and become more compassionate. Thankyou for your comment 🙂
Yes, every step along the journey. Beautiful post, Karen.
Well said, but sometimes hard to do. ♥
Always hard to do Yvonne, but worth the effort.