2.10.21 // be gentle with yourself

Be gentle with yourself.
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On your body, heart, and your soul.
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We only have one life and we should cherish it like nothing else in this world.
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We should hold ourselves with loving hands, warm thoughts, and sweet compassion.
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I received this reminder in a DM from a friend the other day after my post on my attempts to eradicate "should" from my vocabulary. While this message could have been harsh and cruelly worded, it was soft, kind, and full of the compassion I know I need to hold for myself.
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This friend, disguised as a stranger, saw me better than I could see myself, cared for me better than I have been caring for myself and greeted the world with a loving kindness that I'm only beginning to understand.
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I want to know loving-kindness, I want to see it, understand it, and spread its warmth like a wildfire...
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But it has to start with me.
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Just as it has to start with you.