A Blog About Love
Love ?
What does love mean to you? When I was a child there were a whole series of cartoons by Kim Casali, entitled “Love is...” The cartoons were black and white and were of a boy and girl. When I looked it up (because I only had a very vague memory of them), the first one I saw was, “Love is....taking one day at a time.” They were fun and cute and got us thinking of what love is and whether we agreed with the caption to the cartoon.
How Would You Define Love?
What is Love?
By Emma K Age 6
Love is when you’re
Missing some of your teeth
But you’re not afraid to smile
Because you know your friends
Will still love you even though
Some of you is missing
Love is........How would you finish the sentence?
The best way to do this is to think of someone we love. How do we treat them? What do we think of them? What do they mean to us? How do we show our love to them? Love is slightly different for everyone but I think it’s safe to say the following will resonate with most people:-
Respect; Kindness; Understanding; Unconditional; Forgiveness; Compassion
When we love someone, we want them to be happy. We want them to feel safe and if we talk about the basics, we want them to be fed, watered, warm and dry. These are all things we would wish for someone we love. I’m sure you will agree, when we see someone we love feeling stressed or not coping, we want to do what we can to help them. Think of a time when you stood up for someone or defended someone. It seems to come easily, and it feels good. If you’re like me, you’ll want to stick up for the underdog or the weaker one and struggle with any type of injustice. If you’re an animal lover then think about how you would treat an animal. You would protect, love and forgive it.
So, why do many of us struggle to treat ourselves with love and compassion? We will happily put others before ourselves and feel guilty if we don’t. I hear people say, “You should put yourself first sometimes.” (not necessarily to me) but it’s not a case of “putting yourself first” it’s a case of putting yourself on the same level as everybody else. I could name a few people I know that run themselves ragged; chasing around all day for other people and then they come last. I know sometimes this is necessary but not always. It is not selfish to show yourself some compassion. Nobody has won any awards for constantly putting themselves last. In fact, it’s usually the case that it’s expected of them and it can become detrimental to their health and wellbeing. It is usually when we are at the end of our tether or become ill that we realise we cannot continue doing it.
“But that’s how I’ve always been”, I hear you say. Well, you can change. It takes a bit of time and effort but it’s something you can change. Don’t think of yourself as “stuck” - you’re just committed to certain patterns of behaviour. Imagine cherishing yourself as much as you cherish everyone else. Would it be so wrong to show yourself some compassion? Do you know anyone who seems to treat themselves with as much respect and dignity as they treat everyone else? It may be that you already do but if you don’t then it’s something you could think about.
With a bit of time and honesty, you will probably discover that it comes down to a belief you have about yourself. We take on many beliefs for one reason or another. You may not know where most of them come from and yet you listen to them and they generate thoughts and feelings. It is possible to change your beliefs and equine assisted learning will help you discover and change them. Horses won’t judge you and when you experience this it opens up a space for you to explore and express your feelings.
Written by Victoria Comins
Equine Assisted Facilitator
Equina Nexu
07870 605754
Spiritual Notion: Love thy neighbour as thyself.
