Kindess for ALL

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."

-the 14th Dalai Lama

While I believe that I have a kind heart, I would love to tell you that being kind is effortless for me. When I am aligned and things feel easy, it's a breeze. When I am not aligned and at ease, it's rather the opposite of a breeze. My misaligned self is impatient and a bit of a Judgy McJudgerpants. In that space, there isn't a lot of room for emotional compassion and generosity toward anyone...especially myself.

For the majority of my life, I treated internal and external kindness as different skill sets. It took me a long time to realize that being kind to others and to myself came from the same place: within. Once I recognized that the true roots of kindness exist inside of me, both toward myself and others, it became easy to see that when I criticized others, I had already been criticizing myself.

I think that this "understanding" of why we starve ourselves of kindness gets missed, somehow. Whatever lens we are reflecting inward, we are often times reflecting that same lens outward. Or, we may even be gifting all of our kindness away in a bid to prevent others from seeing how unkind we are to ourselves. This leaves us without the reserves to fuel any kind of healthy self love. We withhold.

It would be easy to look at this final Reiki Principle and not see yourself included but see Mother Nature, your neighbor's mastiff, your local barista, and even a stranger woven into the lines of this decree.

Enter Jessie.

Jessie and I received our Reiki Level 2 certifications together. I didn't know much about her but was drawn to the intuitive gifts and confidence she brought with her to class each and every day. Our class was on a break during Day 2 of our cert, and we gathered around the refrigerator as an intimate group of energy workers having a nosh and talking about the Reiki Principles. Just as breezy and clear as she could be, Jessie said:

"I added something to the Principles. They didn't feel right; they were incomplete."

Say what?

"I inserted 'to myself' into the last Principle. It reminds me of my commitment to myself and that we are all worthy. We all deserve kindness."

...And at that moment, I exhaled a breath...a release I had been holding for years. I let kindness in all the way...to the very heart of me. It is, to this day, one of the most powerful shifts of my life. And to this day, each and every day I say the Reiki Principles, I I remind myself that being kind to all means being kind to myself, as well. I hope that you include yourself in in the kindness that you bring to the world.

Thanks, Jessie.