Have you ever noticed how much love flows through the blogosphere among the hardworking mamas out there? Why is it that sometimes we can be these FABULOUSLY supportive girlfriends to each other, but when it comes to ourselves we’re parsimonious and suspicious? Is it too difficult to deal out the powerful sweet mama love to the inside girl as well as the out? I think it is.
Truly.
What would happen if you applied all that sassy assertiveness ("you tell HIM that he should get his ASS out of bed and COOK, goddammit!!") to ourselves ("Honey, could you help out with breakfast tomorrow?")? What would happen if our compliments ("Sister, you are so gorgeous! Don’t you see what I see?") went inward as well as out ("Hey you, you’re definitely lookin’ like a hot mama!")?
Would we laugh? Roll our eyes and discount it as weird self-obsessive solipsism?
What does love mean when it happens inside the ribs of our souls as well as outside in the world of growing little people, relationships, and friendship?
What if we all vowed to be a better inward friends? If we vowed to stop the nagging, griping, jean squeezing, sideways frowny-faux-face-liftin’-mirror-glancing, and just LOOOOVVVVED ourselves?
What would happen if these Mom / Power Woman Engines were allowed to revv up to their full power and unleash into the world of politics, change, peace, and power? Would we finally realize the hopes of the suffragettes?
Would we be able to realize the goals of groups like MomsRising?
Or would we be lost in the wilderness of beauty and narcissism?
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In other news, William over at Gunfighter’s View kindly invited me to post over there today. He’s interested in starting a more informal blog exchange, so check him out.
Excellent post, CM! What a marvelous question! I know so many times I tell myself I’m going to take more ownership of being a good friend to myself, and then you know what happens — someone else makes a demand on my time, and that self-friendship notion goes out the window!
And I love MomsRising!
No, we wouldn’t be narcissistic, we’d be HAPPY! What a great post, CM.
Oh, if we were as nice, kind, funny, loyal and proud of OURSELVES as much as the people we love, the world would be a much better, happier place.
good post, CM.
I think if we loved ourselves like we loved our friends, we would have more love to give to the world. All the feelings that we think we get from other people are actually feelings that we produce ourselves. When we are kind and compassionate and forgiving with ourselves, then we can turn around and be that way with the people in our world. We’d also stop buying magazines, shopping for new clothes and watching shows on TLC like, What Not to Wear and Ten Years Younger. We would be satisfied with ourselves, we would fill our own cups and we’d have the energy to reach out to help those around us. It would be a good thing.
Thanks for the shout-out, CM!
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. In fact my New Year’s resolution is to take better care of myself and treat myself to much need pampering on a regular basis.
I’ve been thinking about this a bit, and I have no answer. But thanks for poking my brain and keeping it on the front burner. And I heart Moms Rising.
This raises an interesting question. When I tell you how I am bowled over by your blog-goodness do you think “Pah! I’m not buying that”?
What a wonderful perspective. Thank you for stating it so eloquently.