As very small children, most of us saw our world as a safe, familiar, well-ordered place. If we were good, we were rewarded. If we were sick, we were tended with care. But, too soon, we grew older and began to find life filled with danger, contradiction, and unfairness. Too often, we found ourselves disappointed and our beliefs in people and systems betrayed.
Everyone has experienced the yearning to return to a time and a place where we felt so loved and well taken care of that it was safe to be completely trusting. Even those who’ve never had such a haven may yearn for it.
Clinging to outgrown innocence, we are needlessly disappointed again and again, while we miss out on what we may have if we accept the fact that we have to take care of ourselves. Partial freedom and limited happiness are all that are available, and if we want to have at least that much, we’ll have to accept those conditions.
We must learn to take care of ourselves every day for the rest of our lives.