Hello again, darlings,

Do you judge every stranger on the street harshly? I'm sure some do, but I think the rest of us try to be tolerant in our daily lives. I know I certainly try to be kind to older folks (who I generally get along with better than my own generation/peers), but perhaps it's due to the ignorance of my own peers.

In others words, most of them don't know what I'm talking about.

I promise, I'm not going to go all "Midnight in Paris" and be Owen Wilson walking in the Parisian rain lamenting on how I was born in the wrong time. Some people do feel that way, but I feel like the progress we've made towards building a more accepting and humanitarian society outweighs any nostalgia I have for the past is easily forgotten.

Do you notice we work hard to accept and love each other more -- both by the international borders and here at home -- but we fail to do ourselves the same kindness?

It's incumbent upon me to reveal the same kindness we show to others in our lives should be the kindness we give to ourselves.

In fact: We should love ourselves more than anyone.

Yes, loving family and friends is important, but how can you truly love them when you don't love yourself? If you don't love yourself, there's no way to know your true worth. There's no way for you to share all that you could be with the people you're supposed to love.

------Now wait a minute.....------

Here's what I'm saying: You must love yourself before you can love someone else with all of yourself.

It is not selfishness to love yourself this way, because though it does benefit you in the long run, the true benefit is to those in your life.

As to the method of this discovery, I can only relate that I have found it through many unfortunate times where I was alone and there was no reason to feel alone. Here's what I came away with; I can never be alone if I'm with myself. I can be my own company. Life, friends, coworkers, family - all of that can go away. It probably will, if life has given us any clue to it's workings. Things are not permanent.

Especially life!

We will all die someday. There's no reason to ever feel alone in a world where we're surrounded by each other. You stand next to someone and feel completely alone. Your mind never touches theirs, but you share the same air, ground, and someday, you'll both return back to the earth. There's no reason to feel sad or lonely about all this. At very least, in a room all by yourself, you still have...yourself.

The path must be unique to each. I can't tell you how I reached my feelings of self-worth, self-love and balance. It came after hard lessons. I found it in quiet time. I found it by being alone. I would wish for everyone to know this kind of peace. I want it for you. In a sort of desperate wanting, because I don't want you to be alone. I don't want you to feel lonely in a crowded room or to feel lonely in a relationship. You should love yourself; and in return, you will get all the love you DO deserve.