At the apex of love, is SELF love…
Love and self-love are not exactly different kinds of love, they are intertwined, have the same source and one is an extension of the other. I can only love others to the extent that I have learned to love myself.
“It’s all about falling in love with yourself and sharing that love with someone who appreciates you, rather than looking for love to compensate for a self love deficit.” – Eartha Kitt
Just in case you don’t know who Eartha Kitt is, I’ll share her story below. When your start in this world is as tough as hers was, it’s easy to take the meaning that there is no love in the world. But that was not Eatha’s truth. Her experience of life taught her that love starts with falling in love with yourself.
This is an extract from a piece in Vanity Fair. You can follow the link below for the whole article:
In her own words describing herself: “I have no idea how old I am. Believe it or not, I have no paper that says I was ever born,” she wrote. “Maybe that’s why they call me a legend, because I don’t really exist.”
We do, actually, know when and where Kitt was born: on a cotton plantation in the town of North, South Carolina, in 1927. Eartha Mae Kitt endured much trauma as a child. Taunted as a “yellow girl” because of her light skin (some believe her real father was the son of the plantation owner), she was rejected by her mother, whose lover did not accept Kitt. Beaten by abusive relatives, the usually shoeless Eartha Mae often had only an itchy potato-sack dress to wear. She would find safety hiding under the beams of her aunt’s house, silently puffing on stolen cigarettes, attempting to become invisible. Food was scarce, and she once ate red clay because she was starving.
You can read her story at the link below. It’s an often shocking tale of a girl on whom life closed the door before she even got her start, but she never closed the door on herself. She learned how to love herself and became “The most exciting woman in the world.”
“As you get older you realize that falling in love is often falling for a fantasy. Learning to love yourself is the only true lasting love. All else is temporary.” – Eartha Kitt
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/01/eartha-kitt-old-hollywood-autobiography
One last thought on love and self-love:
“The secret of attraction is to love yourself. Attractive people judge neither themselves nor others. They are open to gestures of love. They think about love, and express their love in every action. They know that love is not a mere sentiment, but the ultimate truth at the heart of the universe.” – Deepak Chopra
May you learn that at your source, you have always been the love that you’ve been looking for. And that the only thing to do is to share the love that you have found in YOU, with the people who care for you.
Here are a few guiding mantras for self-reflection:
- I am worthy of love and belonging.
- I accept myself unconditionally, flaws and all.
- I celebrate my unique gifts and talents.
- I forgive myself for past mistakes and choose to move forward with kindness.
- I cultivate self-compassion and treat myself with the same care I give to others.
We are all born with the capacity to love and be loved. But sometimes, the experiences of life can cloud our perception. The key is to remember that love is our essence, and it’s always within us. We don’t need to seek it externally; we simply need to reconnect with it internally.
Have a beautiful Friday filled with love for you!
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: Sharing love.