I was to give a child security and tenderness, but didn’t feel I received enough of it myself. —Liv Ullman—
We can increase our serenity by learning to nurture ourselves. The child in us continues to need security and tenderness, even while other children in our lives may call on our reserves. We can ask for nurturing from others, but our surest source is ourselves.
People who have never learned to love themselves may not be able to tap their source of security and tenderness. It’s never to late to start loving ourselves, fortunately. Neglect and abuse in early life may have damaged us; we may have to unlearn many years of mistaken lessons. What better time than the present?
Self-nurturing is a great adventure. We must remember to have patience with ourselves, for deep trust and security, the kind we all need, don’t happen in a moment. Especially if we’re unlearning some damage, we must go slowly. We are a precious gift, to ourselves and others, and we deserve love and nurture.
Today I will love myself, and patiently care for my needs so that my security soon will grow to include others.