To Love And Be Loved

"The greatest happiness of life

is the conviction that we are loved;

loved for ourselves, or rather,

loved in spite of ourselves."

Victor Hugo

There are numerous concepts about love, such as loving your self before attempting to love others. This concept reflects a person will never believe somebody else loves them if they do not have a sense of their personal value.  This creates the specific challenge to allow the self to be vulnerable
and not hide imperfections.

This may sound daunting and yet it occurs routinely. Aspects of life are dramatically irregular and we seem to take them in stride without judgment.  In fact, abnormalities are frequently embraced as artistic expression or individualized characteristics.  We have the tendency to be more forgiving of others than ourselves.

A gardner digs in the soil as a librarian is intrigued by new books. Neither are concerned with perfection as much as curiosity.  An artist dabbles in paint as a poet plays with words. Both anticipate   the creativity resulting from expression.  Any development is a process requiring patience and time.

If we allow ourselves to have broader vision, to see the total value, we can better accept both weakness and strength.  This applies to self-exploration as well. When we embrace all parts of our selves in this very moment, we create a sense of worth.  We begin to love ourselves and respect the love of others.