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You don't need anyone to love you. Love comes from the inside. it lives inside you and is
always there. You can only perceive the beauty that lives outside you when you
feel the beauty that lives inside you.
You can begin seeking this inner love by doing a puja -- a ritual of devotion as
practiced in India -- for your body every day. When you take a shower or a bath, treat your
body with love, honor, gratitude, and respect. when you eat, take a bite, close your eyes,
and enjoy the food. It is an offering to your body, the temple where God lives. Do this
every day, and you will feel love for your body growing stronger. You will never again
reject yourself.
Just imagine how it will feel the day you finally learn to like --even adore
-- your body. Then when you relate with someone else, you'll be free of feelings of
self-denigration and doubt. This is self-love, but not the narcissistic kind, because you
treat other with the same love, honor, respect, and gratitude you show yourself. Think of
the promise of entering a relationship with this frame of mind and soul. Connecting with a
lover will be about honoring the god inside each other.
When you make it your goal to create a healthy relationship between you and your
body, you are learning how to have a great relationship with anyone you are with: your
friends, your children, your co-workers, your parents, your pet.
--Don Miguel Ruiz, The Mastery 0f Love: A Practical Guide to the Art
0f Relationship
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