I am a gift. Do YOU honor yourself that way too?

Good morning!

My gosh, today is Thursday, where *did* the week go?

Given just how character-building it's been for me (got my biopsy results back, negative, yay!, sacrificed myself for my friends, not yay!, and other assorted thingees), this week can't end soon enough.

But I digress.  🙂

Onto today's post!

Tomorrow is the day I was supposed to have my facelift and breast lift, but the lump in my breast kinda sorta derailed that.

Ah well, these things happen.

And in hindsight, I *was* able to use the whole situation as a teaching moment for my kids; they saw how I reacted upon learning about my lump (very calm; I told them that panicking wouldn't change a darned thing, so always face the future with bravery) and *that* was golden.

You see, it would be kinda sorta a wee bit difficult to, well, *manufacture* such a situation.

But the lessons my kids learned from it are precious beyond belief!

Not that I'd like to do it a second time, mind you.  🙂  But in my desperate search for rationalizing things, I could do a lot worse.  🙂

So my surgery is now scheduled a few weeks from now, wheee!

Life…it's character-building to the extreme.  🙂

But what I really want to talk about…is *you*.

Tell me now.

The people who are your friends….do you consider them lucky to have you?

Or do you let them take you for granted and you give yourself a myriad of excuses as to why that's okay?

If it's the second, kindly never visit a bank, because my gosh, are you *ever* shortchanging yourself!!

I've recently recognized this delightful fact meself.

Over the past 4 years or so, there's been a group of folk with whom I have associated.  And it's been really very enjoyable…I've included them on my friends mailing list, I've proactively been there to help counsel when needed, and all that jazz.

I think, however, I'm finally giving myself permission to recognize, I'm not really valued too much there.

Which makes me ask myself,

Why on earth have I been going out of my way for them?

Answer: I didn't want to face the facts that it was all take, no give, and also…they never did ask for my goodness.

And you know something? 

That's okay. 

We all need our delusions at times…because when the time is right, we can boldly tell the universe:

"They're not *necessary* in my life anymore."

Which is what…I've been doing.

• I'm making a new personal Facebook page.
  
• I've removed them from my friends mailing list.
  
• I'm proactively looking to build a new circle of RL friends.
  

I'm doing this because…

I am a gift.

Not someone to take for granted.

And you know something?

You are a gift too!

If there are people who are all take and no give, and if you have the courage to actually face those facts, you can give yourself permission to cut yourself loose from them.

Keep in mind, it's a very difficult and painful thing to do.

It could take days, months, in my case years, etc.

But when the time is right, you simply *must* honor yourself as you deserve.

Life is too short to waste yourself on people who do not value you.

It's a very tough lesson to internalize…but one that can really give you precious insights and strengths for the years to come.

What do you think?

Grow strong,

Barbara Ling