Make Friends, Not Enemies with Yourself…

Dear Reader:

Haven’t we all heard that to have a friend one must first be a friend… but before we can do that… we must be a friend to ourselves.

In certain cases we , as a human race, have had to admit that we are the enemy… especially when it comes to our roles as stewards to our planet.

In fact… it was the first Earth Day ceremony that delivered to us ( through the popular character ( Pogo) and creator, Walt Kelly, the most famous poster of all back in 1970… that should have hit home… half a century later we are ” reaping” the frightening natural disasters occurring daily from lack of response from the population ( as a whole) taking steps to protect our ” blue” home.

**Pogo sadly surveys what man has done to his home in the swamp.**

As stewards of God, I think we can all take responsibility in not fighting hard enough to preserve and care for this wonderful home God provided for us.

But today the issue of being kind to ourselves ( I feel) also needs addressing since most of us ( me included) are harder on ourselves than others. We let our goal of ” perfection” limit our ability to accept ourselves as we really are-human beings with strengths and weaknesses.

I am guilty of this! Instead of just admitting ” I screwed up” … I feel badly… and I hope I learned a lesson from this incident” -then closing the chapter in the book.. like others, I have a tendency to keep chewing on the episode like a dog with a bone.

Why do we do that? Even in our legal system, double jeopardy prevails over being tried for the same crime. Yet we continue trying ourselves… what are we… borderline masochists?

God forgives us when asked, then He moves on… why can’t we?

Remember yesterday when author Sarah Breathnach, observed that in order to live a life of simple abundance, we must find joy and put it back in our lives? Don’t you think our self-inflicted penance should have a time restriction on it? We are losing joy in life needlessly.

If we can be there for our friends in need… then why is it so hard to console ourselves, forgive ourselves, and ” Let it Go!”

So until tomorrow… Please do one more thing for me: ” Be Kind To Yourself Today, Just Be Plain Nice to Yourself! Okay?”

Today is my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”

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