Small Steps in Love

Self-Compassion is a life-long practice that begins right now. Too tired? Too fed up with the state of the world, over it? Just stop. Getting to know yourself with kindness is a slow process. It’s the little bits of compassion that matter most. Imagine all the things you do throughout the day. You don’t have to add anything extra, you just have to shift your point of view.

Every day, take a tiny step forward in the realm of compassionate awareness. This practice is like falling in love except the object of affection is not outside of yourself. You are not full of joy at the sight/smell/sound/touch/taste of another, but instead begin to recognize the beauty of those things in yourself.

It begins so slowly. It begins with a single breath.

Hello, you say. Hello beautiful, you might try on. I see you, I hear you. Breathe and feel. Pause. There is nowhere to be but here in this moment of leaning in to your own beauty. You are a child of God. You were made to share your light.

So how do you share it if you are disconnected from it?

Here’s how. (We always start slowly, because coming back home is no laughing matter, especially if you have been away for a long time). Breathe and feel. Pause.

To get to know yourself with simple kindness, you’re gonna need to feel. If you have never given much though to how your body feels, start with your feet. Ask yourself, what do I notice? Are they hot? Relaxed? In pain? Be as specific as possible. Move onto different areas and more subtlety as you become comfortable.

Look for a space between feeling and judgment and rest there. If your mind and body jump to agitation and/or boredom, that’s ok too. Just notice and start again.

One little act of kindness might seem like nothing. But several hundred will give you the weight of a gentle giantess. Sure! Laugh about it. I mean, it’s not all serious.

With love,

W