Be your own Valentine

"Love is all you need" The Beetles

Is your inner dialogue loving?
Do you think of yourself as a loving person?
 For myself I notice that the answers to these two questions conflict.
I can be least loving to myself while trying to be loving to others. It doesn't work very well.

Sometimes I notice my judgements of others as if I sat on some pedestal of virtue but really I am judging myself equally. That does not feel good either.
When I noticed this most recently I realized I am shallow breathing as if constricted in my body, holding tight somehow.  Once I became aware of this physical aspect it was easy to take a deep breath to assist in the release of all restriction including the withholding of love. What a relief it was to breathe and say to myself I let it go. It worked, in this instance anyway. Nice to have that experience and know it can be that easy sometimes.

So if you recognize any of what I describe here I offer this technique to you as a Valentine gift.

Whether there is one special person in your life or not, love can be increased as your experience in any moment by remembering to breathe deeply and let life flow through you without resistance.  If you are single do not resist it, find someone to compliment. If things are not ideal in your relationship, find one good aspect to be grateful for in your partner and tell them you are grateful for it.

Choose love, self first then spread it around and have a wonderful love filled Valentine's Day.
Namaste.

Mental health?

The new year brought news of the suicide of someone I knew from my church but had not seen in some years as she had moved back to her native England. It was news that rattled many as suicides do. This woman was a Spiritual Counselor and part of our core of practitioners. She was a very spiritually aware individual having been a seeker and a student along side me and many of my friends on the path. Thoughts of her have been my companions since her passing and I recognize our kinship in my moments of disillusionment or doubt. I wonder but will never know the thoughts that led her to take this drastic measure.

As I get older I find I have fewer answers to life's mysteries. More and more I simply give up resisting what is and find that acceptance provides me with more energy to act. Otherwise I get bogged down. Things change for good and for bad without our input - we have only so much control.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said,
"The measure of mental health is the disposition to find good everywhere."

In order to find that good we have to look for it and sometimes even do some digging for it in some circumstances. I'm not sure I can find it in a suicide but I can certainly try to find it in my life. In fact, despite my many complaints, if I decide to shift my focus to find good, there is more there than I even imagined. That feels better than complaining. And again I have more energy to be creative and take action when I feel grateful for the good I find. It is my hope that we can find some good always in our lives and if we can't that we can call a trusted friend who can show it to us.
Namaste