Self love is a lifestyle

Breaking the habits of a lifetime

Listening to Justin, as he croons

away his worries and concerns,

I wonder where the time has gone,

and why I feel so forlorn

The malady meets me as I wake;

opening my eyes, remembering every mistake

that I’ve made, and wonder if

I can put them to sleep and start to live

free from guilt and condemnation

and please myself, without explanation

People pleasing seems the easy option,

but really, it’s just putting myself up for auction

and allowing others to please themselves at my expense

I need to make this habit the past tense

I will please myself in so much as it does no harm

I will let others see me as I really am

I have my limits and boundaries;

I will respect them unconditionally

By doing this, others will see them,

and realise I’m as important as them

I have twenty four hours each day,

to live and use in the most appropriate way

A way that allows me to attend to me,

kith and kin, and not any wannabe

I choose life, not existence;

I can say no to insistence

from another to go here or there

to bow to their will. I will dare

to quietly please myself,

instead of pleasing someone else

So what is the point of this little ditty?

I don’t want anyone to feel pity

for my tortured soul, as I ramble on;

as Garbo said, I want to be left alone

People come and go in the course of life

and I thank God for this who stayed around

endured the trouble and strife,

to enjoy with me the life I’ve found

Life is for living, and giving to others love and sustenance;

a helping hand, but not at the expense

of my own needs and desires

Remember to attend to my own fire

before I hand the kindling to another;

I am a friend, not their mother