see, this is how we keep our bowl full
one of the things that maybe you don't know
because no one ever told you
over and over and over again is that
you
as a human being, and for just that reason alone
are special, not just special, but very special
and because of that other people care about you
and like you and like to be with you
and like to have you in their lives just because
you are a special human being
what you maybe do know is instead of just because
there must be a reason that people spend time with you
and that people who do spend time with you must
want something from you or
want to do something to you or
want you to do something for them
and
if you want someone's attention and their affection
you must somehow buy it or barter for it or
do something drastic to get it and have it and keep it
but people,
just because people,
build reationships based on kindness and respect and honesty,
which builds trust and turns into love and loving and intimacy
which builds more kindness and respect and honesty
which turns into more trust and kindness and respect and honesty
which are the building blocks of just because people
who like one another just because
and treat each other with kindness and respect and honesty
which are the building blocks of dignity and self respect and grace
which turns into beauty and being a beautiful human being who treats other people and herself/himself, of course, with kindness and respect and honesty
and sex doesn't necessarily have anything to do
with just people being people with each other
just because they like (or even love) one another
it is another choice,
which is about kindness and respect and honesty and trust and self respect
and dignity and grace and beauty
those just because things, like kindness and respect and honesty
are the building blocks of beliefs and values
and values are those ideas which we believe are of value and important
and are what we base our decisions on
decisions about how we are going to behave
about whether we will or won't do someting or say something or support something
and when we know we believe in something and act based on our beliefs,
then we are treating ourselves with kindness and honesty and respect
and we feel good about ourselves
and when we know we believe in something and don't act based on our beliefs
we start to feel bad about ourselves
because we are being unkind and dishonoring and disrespecting ourselves
and that, being unkind and dishonoring and disrespecting ourselves
feels even worse than when someone else does it to us
because that,
to dishonor and disrespect ourselves, is a fundamental betrayal
so,
it is really important for each of us to know what ideas and values we have
and to know what it is that we think is more important than anything else
so that we can, to the best of our abilites
every day every minute, live our lives with kindness and respect
so that we can honor ourselves and one another every day every minute
so that our lives are full of kindness and honor and respect and trust and love and loving and intimacy and
just because people
who walk beside us
just because
and think we are special
just because we are
see, this is how we keep our bowl full
(c) 2002-03jgoldberg
