11:44 p.m. | 2005-04-23 The Power Of Compassion. I�ve always been compassionate when it comes to other people. No problem there. I�ve always had the ability and a tendency to see both sides of any situation and to plant myself in another�s shoes. Albeit, there are some shoes that I�ve often been obstinate about. (Cross-Reference: MyMother) Well, and my own. Surprisingly. I�ve spent years being all busy stepping into other people�s lives and troubles all the while ignoring my own. That�s generally referred to as denial. Much as I hate to use such an over-used word, it is what it is. Once I became compassionate towards myself, all the denial evaporated. Quite suddenly. What I'm discovering about myself is not so pretty but I'm not so mean to myself anymore either. Which is helpful, of course. Does this make any sense? It�s hard to talk about what�s been happening. Not because I�m hesitant to share, just that it�s hard to articulate. At least for me. One thing I know though is that these tired clich�s � you can�t love anyone else if you don�t love yourself and no one will respect you if you don�t respect yourself - are very true. Tired but true. Loving and respecting yourself? It�s quite a powerful place to be. Lots of folks give it lip service, but in my experience? Those who claim to love and respect themselves beyond all measure are full of... well, they know not of what they speak. Generally, at least. See, when you really do love and respect yourself, it shows. There�s no need to proclaim it. And, people respond accordingly. I must say that it�s rather surprising when people suddenly treat you quite differently. There�s an immediate clarity about things too. An abrupt shift in your equilibrium. It�s hard to keep up, actually. It also affects all your relationships � good and bad. All dynamics change. It transforms passive/aggressive behaviour into assertiveness; sarcasm into wit; babbling into listening; weaknesses into strengths and cars into action figures. Oh wait, I�m confusing the latter with Transformers. Remember those? In other news, I recently snorted at a work meeting. Actually, it was more of a snort, guffaw, and humph all put together. Again, I�ve not been so articulate of late, but I still manage to express myself quite clearly. I know because that guttural opinion was countered with a raised eyebrow. I was a little embarrassed but not as much as I would�ve been had I spoken my mind. I still have a ways to go before all this new-found self love and respect finds an appropriate voice. your thoughts? seed flower