SELF LOVE… DEFINED BY YOU!
Self Love…
When I think about it I realize it is one of th ose th ings I know very little about. I grew up in a loving home, and By Susan Binnie I f elt lov e. Or at least I think I did. Being with others is being kind and caring and doing for them. Making someone’s life easier by helping them to be happy. This is love… Isn’t it? Holding our children tightly in our arms and providing all the essentials of life. This is love… isn’t it? Self Love… Hmmm what is that, what does that really mean? I am not going to try and define love or self love for anyone else. As I believe that your definition of any word is for you and h o w yo u de cid e to live it. For me s elf l ove i s one of those things like self care. When I care for others, I care for me. When I love others, I love me. When I do for others I do for me. When I hug someone, I am hugging me. As I settle in and write this story, I realize that most of my life has been doing for others, loving others,
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S e l f L o v e D e f i n e d b y Yo u
being there for others. Giving and not receiving. When I was younger I gave advice to everyone, helping them along their journey. Thinking back there was no one there to help me, no one to give me advice! I realize it was more about me not knowing how to ask for help, not knowing how to truly receive. Through the years, I have loved and have been loved… Loved in many different ways. My parents love me, my husband loves me, my children, my grandchildren, my friends… Many different forms of love, all from those who warm my heart… I am grateful as I know love and I am loved. Self love for me truly happened in 2020. Hard to believe, even for me. I am 54 years old and I have finally discovered that loving me is a thing. Something that perhaps I knew earlier. The impact of loving myself in 2020 was a necessity and I discovered it at the time when I needed it the most. 2020 will be in history books forever as the year of uncertainty for so many. For me, I decided it was going to be a year of learning, growing and trusting. It was all about self… self-discovery, self-awareness, and self-love. I am extremely fortunate (during the pandemic in particular) to live in a home with my husband, my two daughters and their significant others. At first I thought oh lord help me, how do I survive in a house with 6 adults. Now I am truly grateful... They were there for me, I was there for myself and I was forced to set boundaries, we all were. Setting
