At War with Love

The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.

Learn to put on your bracelets and zip up your dresses by yourself. There will be times when you will be alone. Get on a long plane ride. Look out the window. Understand the immensity of our world. Understand your insignificance. Understand your absolute importance. Press the send button. If you don’t say it now, you never will. Do not sneer at happiness or roll your eyes at sadness. Be aware that apathy is not healthy. You are more than the amount of people who want to have sex with you. That pit in your stomach when he doesn’t text you back, it shouldn’t be there. No one should be able to control you like that. Shopping is cathartic. Buy the shoes and deal with one-ply toilet paper for a while. It will get better, but it will never be perfect. Learn to live through the small moments of happiness. When they disappear, remember they will resurface. I promise that cookie will not change anything (except that it will make you smile). Please, please, take care of yourself. You are everything to somebody. You are everything to your self. That alone is enough.

I have learned over the years how essential gentleness towards oneself is. When you are having a bad moment, bad day, bad year, or a seemingly bad life you owe it to yourself to be kind, to be patient, and to be loving. Beating yourself up over mistakes of the past or present doesn’t help you in anyway to do better. It’s an act of abuse against yourself, and it will only make you hurt more. Don’t break apart your own soul. Don’t crush your heart into pieces. Please don’t destroy yourself from the inside out. Be gentle with yourself every single second of every moment of every single day. You are learning, you are growing — you will fumble and stumble but I know you can and will rise again. You are worthy of your own attention, care, and forgiveness. If you’ve been treating yourself badly today I really hope that you’ll take this opportunity to no longer speak hate into your life but rather love, hope, healing, and joy. You are not a bad person. You are not a failure. You are not meaningless. You are not born to suffer. You are not fated for misery. You are a precious human being. Sweetheart, YOU ARE A PRECIOUS HUMAN BEING. A bad moment doesn’t change that. A mistake doesn’t undo your worth. You are a magnificent treasure, and I hope that today you would begin the process of restoring your soul. I needed this today. Maybe one of you need this too.