Acceptance

To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others, you need only accept yourself.” – Thich Nhat Hah

This expressionistic saying really touches my heart. 

Show up as ALL that you are, for it’s all that I am.

For such a long time I didn’t accept myself. I wanted to change so many things, the colour of my hair, my skin, tone and freckles (especially my skin), my shape, my butt (a personal feature really), my lips and so on.

Now as I enter into peri menopausal phase of my life, other big changes are occurring and I love, embrace and accept all of this as an opportunity to discover more of myself. To love and accept more of myself as I am changing. I am always becoming, as I always AM until I breathe no more, and I’ll still continue on through the phases of evolution. Becoming particles of stardust.

I came to Realise that all of this need to want to be different stemmed from my childhood programming, conditioning and patterns that had become almost hardwired. Then discovering, that I too, have the power to change and/or accept. With acceptance sometimes also forgiveness is required but definitely compassion.

Albeit, it was a lack of acceptance of myself as I am.

This state of being and belief led me down some other very dark paths in order to discover myself. It wasn’t all in vain, as I really learnt a lot but what I found moreso was I was soul searching, and looking for love and acceptance outside of myself.

Only to discover that all I needed to know when it came to love, is to love and accept myself.

The answers have been there all along, deep within my heart. Though what a magnificent path of discovery it has been to come to this place of love, kindness, compassion and acceptance for and of myself.

The message is this, and I am wording such as that I take personal responsibility for my words here.

“I am individual, but I am also human and need to feel safe in this world. To have a deep sense of belonging, a purpose to live and this gift is deep within my heart, as it is, in each and everyone of us – I love and accept me”.

On that note, I am giving myself a huge loving squishy grandmother hug. (Cause I can say that for I am).

This gift of love and acceptance via a beautiful warm embrace from my loving elder (the elder within me), hugging my sweet innocent inner child. An embrace of love and acceptance, safety and belonging.

One of the greatest Gifts🎁 to give Yourself is Acceptance of Who You are and Who you’ve been. Of course this is not to say boundaries are not required along the road, nor is accountability and responsibility for actions.

Once you surrender and accept you for you, there is no need to be fake or accepted by anyone else. During the year of 2020, this was very much bought to my awareness and you know what, I am so okay with it, because I am so OKAY with me.

I do not need to be anyone else’s favourite cup of tea. I enjoy many flavours of tea also but I am my own favourite flavour.

Just be you, with an open heart of Love, for you, humanity, all sentient beings and especially this gorgeous blue planet, GAIA.

I Love me for me.

Sometimes life gets messy, bring love, compassion, kindness, acceptance and forgiveness to those parts too. It’s all in the name of growth, change, cycles and evolution. Awareness is key, only I myself, have the power to be the change I want to see and be in this world. Others do not have to like it and that’s okay.

The world is your canvas and you are the paintbrush. I choose to explore the rainbow.

Thanks for reading Lovers

Your friend or foe

Melanie Jane Hughes