To love yourself

To love yourself is not to eradicate your pain

To love yourself is to remember that it’s not all in vain

To love yourself is not to deny you suffering

To love yourself is to accept all that is coming

To love yourself is not to wake up early, be on time, say the right thing

To love yourself is to be there with an embrace when you are behind on everything

To love yourself is not a competition you might lose

To love yourself is a constant collaboration with your blues

To love yourself is not all fireworks and millennial pink

To love yourself is listening to the shadow and tolerating the boredom

To love yourself is not to hate yourself

To love yourself is to love the self that hates itself

To love yourself is not a selfish act

To love yourself is practicing forgiveness, acceptance and compassion

Skills the world needs to fill its cracks

Learning to love yourself is not found on your bookshelf

Learning to love yourself is in the breath, the heartbeat all within the self