Who’s got your back?
Surgeries, babies, divorce, broken bones, broken hearts, disease, menopause, layoffs, infidelity, regrets.
Life is messy.
We all have family and friends that have our back, always there, catching us when we fall, bringing us magazines when we’re laid up, picking up the kids when we can’t drive, bringing dinners and checking in.
But what about you? No, I mean like, YOU. You have this cool body, this temple, this vessel that is always there, day in and day out, yeah sometimes complaining like a spouse or grumpy uncle, but without fail, shows up. It sometimes lets us treat it poorly, lets us talk to it in anger and disappointment, with regret and unkind words, giving it foods it doesn’t like, or pushing it too far when it needs rest. It loves us unconditionally, but keeps showing up without fail.
Would we treat our best friend, talk to our best friend, judge our best friend the way we do our bodies? Ourselves?
We all do it, even those we think have the perfect self, the perfect body, the perfect life.
What if we always treated ourselves like a best friend, a spouse, a lover? Someone we deemed worthy of our time and energy, someone to dote over, someone we loved, unconditionally?
That would mean kind words, patience, empathy, support, forgiveness, flexibility, time, healthy choices. How would that change our lives? What would that look like?
All of those things that derail us, the weight gain, the weight loss, the injuries, the pregnancies, the life changes, they would just be a part of us. We could go on loving every wrinkle, every mole, every pair of jeans, every moment of forgetfulness, every race lost, every race won, without fail we would show up, for us.
I am going to show up for me, and remember when the negative thoughts creep in, the judgment the disappointment, remember that I need to treat myself the way I want to be treated by others. The golden rule. I will remember the golden rule, the rule that I teach my kids and hope they teach their kids.
Will you remember the golden rule, will you treat yourself the way you’d like others to treat you? No matter how messy life gets, remember who’s got your back.
