As I walk along the beach in the early morning, all alone save for a few joggers, my mind goes to the issue of compassion. It seems as long as I can remember, this is a trait that I could embrace. The only piece missing for me at times was to come from a place of compassion for myself. During those times when I could not find it within myself to lovingly embrace me, it seems I expended all my energy giving it to others and ended up drained, feeling empty.
I once felt that putting me first was an act of selfishness but I have found that this could not be further from the truth. When I embrace myself, telling me I am good, kind and deserving of love, it seems my heart fills to the brim and I have so much to offer others, whether it be a merely a smile, hug, or a warm thought.
So why is it that some people we meet don’t seem to have the compassion “gene”? Our culture, experiences, traumas, our parents’ traumas, etc. all cause us to approach life differently. Is compassion lost to those who have had these different experiences? I believe compassion can be taught and we can be our own teacher.
Practicing mindfulness, I believe, is the first step to finding our compassion mojo. Breath-by-breath, in a non-judgmental way, we could begin by sending out a blessing to those we care about, then on from there to those we struggle with, and end with a blessing for ourselves. Many meditation mantras are available or you can use your own words. This is one approach and may be the easiest, as it is natural to send out positive energy to those we already care about, but not so easy to do so for more challenging folks and sometimes the most difficult to send the love back to ourselves. Starting today, how about we all give ourselves a big hug first, knowing that we are good and kind, worthy of the love we give to others, then continue on to embrace those who we may see as different. What have we got to lose? 
Gossamer threads
emerging from the heart
embracing the globe
in an intricate web
~
Some fragile
some strong
all carry messages
~
Words filled with…
love
hope
promise
compassion
~
Vivid images
beautiful to behold
reaching out
touching
heart connection felt.
© LuAnn Oburn 2012
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When I worked in our church office after I retired from teaching, our Pastor used the work mindfulness every day. He said it was one of our top priorities. He explained that we MUST have compassion and understanding for every one that walks through the doors to our church. That daily reminder to me has made me, I believe, a much more mindful person of others and of myself.
Thanks for giving me a shot in the arm today to remind me to never forget love myself as I love others.
You’re welcome Marsha. I have to remind myself of this quite often. Your pastor is a wise man.
Very well said LuAnn! I am so happy for you and this opportunity of yours to take the time for yourself. You don’t have an office full of people who need you tugging at you and your emotions. If you would ever choose to go back to something like that I am sure you would handle things differently and not risk your well being as much as you did in the past.
Hopefully I would Ardythe and hopefully I will never have to find that out again. Any job I might take in the future is guaranteed to be more laid-back.
Beautiful! And thanks for the reminder, cuz you know I need it!
We all need it from time to time. Sending you a virtual hug cuz I know you need it right now.
Love this. Love you for posting it!
Thanks Gunta!
I love that you combine so beautifully, your passion of travel and self-discovery. A wonderful journey that I feel privileged to accompany you on. Great post!
Thank you so much. You just made my day!
Lovely post and very wise words! Nina
Thanks Nina.
Your post today is so lovely, thoughtful, and meaningful. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and advice.
Thanks so much for the kind words Carol.
Well said, Lu Ann. It was a beautifully written post. For me the best part of this post was “Our culture, experiences, traumas, our parents’ traumas, etc. all cause us to approach life differently”. It’s so true and thoughtful. Thank you for sharing these wonderful thoughts with us.
Have a great weekend!
Thanks Arindam. Enjoy your weekend as well.
Really wonderful post, Luann , your thoughts are so beautiful, just like your feelings in this beautiful verse. Thank you for sharing!
With love maxima
You are welcome and thanks for the kind words Stefan.
The post is inspirational enough. The poetry is just beautiful! Off to check how much I have missed
Thanks Madhu. It is wonderful to have you back posting on your amazing travels.:)
Inspiring.
Thanks!
Beautifully said, LuAnn. Yes, starting today!
Starting today! Thanks Amy.
Regarding your post on my blog titled “Brrrr”: Actually, our thunderstorms were not from Hurricane Sandy, just thunderstorms in south Texas.
TravelBug-Susan.blogspot.com
Good to hear. I didn’t think the hurricane was affecting Texas but I wasn’t sure.
Love the post, it’s always important to be reminded of how to treat ourselves with respect as well as others. I’m in a more positive frame of mind now and anything to make an approaching Monday easier to deal with is always a good thing!
Thanks Stefan. I hope this reminder helped in some small way.
We can also learn compassion from others by reading posts like this.
Thanks so much!
Wonderful sentiments, indeed. We can only do for others those things that we can do for ourselves. The more we can honour and love ourselves, the more we can do this for others… a never ending wheel of receiving and giving..!
A wonderful post, LuAnn…
Thanks Carolyn. I love your site and look forward to future posts.
Another sigh, but this one is pretty pleasure, just simply beautiful LuAnn.
Thank you my friend.
It’s an easy formula really, and you hit the nail including mindfulness. Really, you just need to care. A lot of people struggle with it though, or I guess everyone does. And some people just always complain without contemplating how or why, are inconsiderate and always thinking of merely themselves.
It really is a simple formula and one that I think can be taught. It may be that some of those that haven’t mastered the art have not had enough compassion directed towards them in their lives. Hope you have a great week Rommel. We are now in San Diego and will be through January. Hopefully we can meet while I am here.
Set the date! Ow, I’ll be there Dec 8. And I put in a leave in Dec. sounds good? You come up where to go? I’ll leave it up to the pro.
I’ll set the date and we will take it from there. Looking forward to it.