Feeling Is First

One of the best things I saw on the internet this week was the quote, "Self-love without self-awareness is useless." Yes! This quote has been attributed to Qasim Chauhan and Xochitl Frausto, but I don’t think anyone knows who actually said it. What’s important is that more and more people are moving beyond the narrow perspective of self-indulgence as the only type of self-love.  Indulgence absolutely has its place and time. It feels so good to love yourself enough to embrace opportunities for indulgence without fear. It feels so good to let your belly be full. It feels especially good to share treats with others in a sincere spirit of celebration without any guilt.  But indulgence every day isn't self-love; it's just harmful. We limit the kids to two treats a day unless it is a special occasion. Right now the favorite treats are cookies and fruit snacks. We say, "Treats are good for our happiness but bad for our teeth." If I limit the kids, shouldn...

A personal perspective feels too small, but a global perspective is beyond my grasp. I want to tell you that for the first time in my life, I'm not sleeping. I stare out the window and wish for sleep until I give in to continued awakeness. I want to tell you that I am obsessively exercising. I keep thinking, "I have to be well for my kids. I might be their only parent soon." I want to tell you that I hate to leave the house. I used to be a person who complimented strangers. Now I am avoiding eye-contact and silently seething about strangers getting too close to me. But all of that is meaningless in context. Who cares about my sleep hygiene when the working poor are being exploited? There are refugees in crowded camps with no protection. There are children, right here in my own city, locked up together and getting sick. There are migrants here in my state, in the town where I got married, locked up together, at greater risk of infection, not for any violent crimes or fli...