LOVE WHO YOU ARE...

Some of my favorite art and illustrations by the very talented Anahata Katkin... And I just have a few words to say before I end my day, and head off to the land of nod...

'love who you are'  and what does it really mean?  I think self love, and self acceptance is one of the most difficult things for us as a human race to not only accept - but then to practise on a daily basis.  If more of us allowed ourselves to love the true, the real, the raw - not the person we want the outside world to see.... but the real you and the real me that's been buried underneath all the should haves and would haves and maybes and what ifs....

What if there were no what ifs - what if we realise that this is the one and only real life, we don't get a dress rehearsal, we don't get a second chance at life. Because we don't know when the curtains will be drawn and our lives will come to an end.  A couple of weeks ago I got a message from my mum.  My cousin's son was killed in a bike accident and died at the age of 23.  Sadly I never got to know him, we never even met - but one thing I know is that this young man, in the prime of his life - lived a very full life and he touched so many lives with his abundant energy and lust for life, his laughter and his honesty in being true to who he was.  I think its that honesty that has drawn so many people to him, and that had touched so many lives in his very short life.  My heart goes out each and every time I see his sister post a message or his girlfriend or his mother or any of his friends... a true gent, a true gem - he is no longer with us, he has passed through this life, to his eternal life... where I am sure he is shining down on all those who still love him and miss him each and every day.

I cannot imagine the sadness and the loss - but one thing this has made me think about a lot is - how we live our lives, do we embrace each opportunity we have to make someones life more pleasant and happy, do we try and share positivity and light wherever we go?  Do we reach out even when we feel like our energies are so low we are not even functioning on reserves anymore ....

I want to live a grateful life, and I want to share the abundance of wonder and beauty that I stumble upon in the here and now - there is so much sadness and disasters we are faced with on a daily basis, a new crises, or yet another natural disaster - and it's not about turning a blind eye - because I very much understand and appreciate the day and age we are living in.  But I think now more than ever we need to focus on sharing the good news, we need to be encouraging to each other, and we need to live everyday not in fear of death, but in hope and in the knowing that this life we have, and the life we have led - that we have lived it full to the brim - we have explored all that there was in our being, we have lived out our purpose - we have found our gift - and we have shared that gift gracefully and gratefully.

Let us not be ashamed of any part of our humanness but let us celebrate in life, in this one magical, special gift and let us speak our truths and live our truths and let us love who we are, and let us love each other truthfully and abundantly.... peace out, love and light to each and every one of you!

Images via Anahata Katkin