Self Love is totally different than I thought it was going to be. The word that best describes how I feel about most things, really toward EVERY thing, including ALL parts of me, is tenderness.
We all really look like this:
How do I feel about this puppy when I look at it? How do I feel about the mischief this pup pup can get into? How does the heart feel when someone plops this creature in my lap?
I’m just describing the natural feel of it. This tenderness isn’t something I have to do, right? There is just a natural uprising state from the heart at such soft beauty.
My body is an expensive outfit that I splurged on, made from luscious fabric. I hang it up as soon as I take it off. If I were to find it crumpled on the floor, I would smooth out the wrinkles, iron it, care to get it back in shape for another occasion 🙂 I would treat it tenderly. My earth suit.
With the concept of original sin, comparison of bodies, messed up ideas of beauty and worthiness, gosh the distortions of our Matrix seem limitless, self love seems a journey, a destination reached after lots of hard work. Really, I’ve come to see, tenderness toward myself is a natural response as close as my breath.
All true voices say these things. I am just repeating…
We are not our thoughts, our bodies, our life stories – from a spacious place, from the quiet, blue sky inside our being, from the silent, white tundra in the inner landscape – we naturally view all of it, every part, like the puppy above. AWWWWWW, how sweet!
And this true lens of tenderness excludes nothing.
Ok, I cannot include a post with a picture of a cute puppy and leave it at that. We reside in a world of duality…and the dark embrace of the distorted lens points back to the source as well!
Imagine that.
Self-love through a distorted lens:
Now this earth suit desires a cup of tea, and I’m going to make it for her…tenderly 🙂
Life as Improv 
Brilliant 🙂
Bowing back!
🙂
Lovely
Thank you. Bowing atcha for all the lovely sharing!
Beautiful! You cultivate that self-love and watch the magic unfold.
Yes, watching all the magic! Can see your big open heart from here 🙂
I have some days that I completely see my inner Pika:
http://www.nwf.org/~/media/Content/Animals/Mammals/Small%20Mammals/219×219/pika1_JonNoad_219x219.ashx
AND
some days that are totally inner Sphynx:
Loving the swing. Loving the playground of life.
OH, Wow! How perfectly exactly 🙂
Very, Very Beautiful! Thank You! and here is another youtube link I got from blogger http://rachelsnyder.wordpress.com/
Thank you! What a gift to start the day!
All kinds of wonderful and interesting thoughts in your blog. I will be following. But I will admit, the puppy. The puppy really got me 😉 It’s a good reminder to see ourselves, and each other, through the eyes of compassion. But I also love the duality of life, of which you speak…
Yes, we are all such lovely puppies; it’s true! I was taken with your natural and honest voice on your blog, but I didn’t have the time to explore today. I will be back to read about your experiences this year – my heart went out to you immediately. More and more, the honest telling of our truths and the sharing of this with each other is very nourishing, it seems to me. Thank you for the visit and follow. Looking forward to reading more!!
Marga, what a lovely post, thank you! Playing the puppy card eh? Well it worked, you had me from the start! Ending with NIN was brilliant, Trent really knows dark Emo. Be well!
So great to feel understood in these two opposite expressions-sometimes the gritty makes people squirm! I’m a sucker for the puppy and Trent too. I had Survivalism in my ears through this year with fierce determination of fierce relaxing into the whole 🙂 So cool to find you out there expressing your voice and depth. I have a syllabus due for my classes which start on Monday; as soon as that is in, i can’t wait to explore more on your blog. I learned your name is Maddie from Sofia…Nice to meet you Maddie! Thanks so much for the reblog and sharing on here today.
X!marga
That’s great, I look forward to connecting. Your blog is rich and fascinating, like a technicolor jungle of fresh truths and insights. I’m enjoying your archived posts tremendously, serendipity is how reality works! 😀
Indeed marga t, kindness toward our self catapults us into kindness to others. And expressIng kindness through a joyful heart is a major benchmark on the path of perpetual serenity.
Your shiny words made me just write another post:) Happy flow to you.
Dear tender one – Thank you for this. I am just about to do a post on Self Love and will post this blog under it in related links. Wonderful! Thank you for following my blog. I plan to get my self love post up within a day or two. Blessings, Alia
Just posted. Here’s the link and thank you for such a wonderful companion piece. Alia http://wp.me/p2BC2S-hu
Thank you, Alia.