Be the Light

"A spark of kindness made a light." - from "Once the World Was Perfect" by Joy Harjo

My son read this poem to me recently; it inspired a discussion about the paradoxical aspects of life...about loving others while loving ourselves.

🦋Thoughts🦋

Kindness...so simple. An easy thing to give. A moment here. A word there. The small gift of a smile (even if from behind a mask) or a wave. The considerable gift of your undivided attention.

Kindness ignites light. A fire...the good kind. 🔥 The kind that brings warmth.

I believe most of us are capable of kindness. Rarely are we given a day without opportunity to show kindness.

We must, however, settle into the paradoxical realities of life and learn to guide ourselves through them.

🦄🌈 It’s not all rainbows and unicorns.🌈🦄

Of course not.

We inevitably will be on the receiving end of the cruelty and selfishness of those who lack awareness or empathy.

“Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness. I am kind to everyone. But when someone is unkind to me, weak is not what you are going to remember...” - Al Capone

Sometimes you’ve gotta bring out your inner gangster. And that’s ok.

Setting boundaries. Knowing your worth. Channeling your light. Igniting another kind of fire...also good. 🔥🔥🔥The kind that tells the things that are no longer serving you-

You’d. Better. Back. On. Up.

And that’s ok, too.

Sometimes, being kind to OURSELVES is priority. Once we know and love ourselves fully and wholly we are more equipped to love others, allowing us to show AUTHENTIC kindness.

Our yoga practice helps us with this balance. Acceptance. Intention. Love. Presence. Equanimity.

Be the light.

For others.

For yourself.