"It is in moments of illness that we are compelled to recognize that we live not alone but chained to a creature of a different kingdom, whole worlds apart, who has no knowledge of us and by whom it is impossible to make ourselves understood: our body." ~ Marcel Proust

"Sometimes it takes a wake-up call, doesn't it, to alert us to the fact that we're hurrying through our lives instead of actually living them; that we're living the fast life instead of the good life. And I think, for many people, that wake-up call takes the form of an illness." ~ Carl Honore

"The number one root of all illness, as we know, is stress."
~ Marianne Williamson

"A life-threatening illness or two certainly gives you an awareness of your own mortality. It heightens your sense of gratitude for things that previously, if you've not taken them for granted, you perhaps never appreciated how precious they were. That's almost a platitude, but one has to state the obvious." ~ Norman Foster

"They're trying to tell us that we're not right, so we have to buy their products. The number one cause of mental illness is not knowing who you are and you can't know who you are if you don't spend time honoring yourself, and living in the present." 
~ Naomi Judd

A long time ago, when I was in my middle thirties, a friend decided that a group of us should expose ourselves to a variety religious/spiritual traditions. On one particular Sunday, we piled into his car after (Unitarian Universalist) church services and drove to a Hindu Temple out in Pearland, TX. It was here that I received, quite possibly, the most important lesson of this lifetime. A Hindu nun explained to me that we do not have to ask for blessings, we receive them. They are already here waiting to be taken. That one concept changed my entire life. We don't have to ask. I thought to myself, We take the blessings.

There's a translation of a verse in the Bible which reads, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." Wise words. In addition, I would like to suggest that you, "Do unto yourself as you would have others do unto you." What does that mean? Very simply, it is not possible to show compassion to others if we are filled with self loathing. It is not possible to trust someone to love us completely, if we do not find ourselves lovable.

This is going to be a short blog entry, because the lesson is so entirely powerful in itself that it requires more reflection than explanation. I invite you to sit and meditate for awhile and then, when you feel you are completely centered, ask yourself this question: "How do I really feel about myself?" or "How do I treat myself?" Do you push yourself to exhaustion? Do you hurt your body to win approval from others? Would you like others to treat you with kindness? Then start there...and be kind to yourself.

Shanti,
  S.