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Today's
Meditation:
As much as I hate to admit it, I've always had a
problem with caring for others. You see, to me
caring always has been a risk-- if I care about someone or
something, then that person or thing has the potential to
hurt me. If I hold back my caring, then I can't be
hurt. Or at least that's how my warped logic tried
to keep me from getting hurt for many years.
What I've learned in the later part of my life, though, is
that the hurt that comes from other people comes from me,
myself. People do what they do, and then I react to
it. And my reactions are the things that are the
most harmful to me. This revelation has made my life
more enjoyable, for when I learned this truth, I also
learned that caring isn't nearly as risky as I thought it
was!
Now I'm not only able to care, but I'm able to share that
caring, and actually tell people that I care for
them. I'm actually able to put myself in a position
in which before I thought I might get hurt, but which now
I think is just a situation. And that caring brings
a richness to my life that simply was missing before--
it's
a wonderful feeling to care for others and to be able to
let them know that I care without worrying about how
they'll react or what they'll do. Yes, there will be
those who don't appreciate my caring, or who even will try
to take advantage of it, but as long as I'm aware of that
possibility and am willing to take it for what it is, then
I shan't be hurt when and if it does come to pass.
The capacity to care sometimes has to be learned and/or
exercised. Doing so, though, can be one of the
greatest gifts that we give to ourselves, for then we
enable ourselves to give the wonderful gift of caring to
others who may need it desperately.
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