Don't Leave Yourself Behind

In most instances, we sacrifice our needs to satisfy the needs of others. We excuse ourselves from our seats for the next person to comfortably occupy our chair. We do this as an expression of love and kindness, and it is often viewed as an act of foolishness by the one on the receiving end because only a small portion of our species can comprehend and appreciate those who are genuinely there for them.

By being empathetic, we expose ourselves to the vulnerability of peers who have not given themselves time to reflect and work on themselves. They misinterpret our humble and giving nature as shyness and stupidity, and are excused by our acceptance of their behavior towards us. We protect them even when they provoke us into becoming the version of ourselves we have been protecting ourselves from. In our eyes, all they do has nothing to do with them, so therefore, our empathetic selves fall for the trap that something molded them into the unappreciative beings they are. We conclude that most of them are not aware of the misery they bring forth, so we take part of the blame and accept them for who they are without reprimanding or correcting them. If you look closely, by doing that, we end up becoming part of the problem.

One of the greatest sins we do to ourselves is drifting away from the promises we make to ourselves. We promised to be there for ourselves no matter what it takes, whatever the circumstances may be, but we continue letting ourselves down to fulfill other people's wishes. There is no fault in being a person whose arms are always wide open and ready to accept the burdens of those who need comfort. There is no fault in having a loving and giving heart whose offering is unconditional. If there was, then none of us would be working on ourselves to possess such traits. If there were, none of us would be longing to be in the presence of such people. The fault is found in their lack of boundaries. Those who give wholeheartedly do not know when to stop, how to stop, or where to stop. It is hard for them to break the cycle of continuously opening their hands to give gifts to an unappreciative receiver.

When you are a giver whose nature is to nurture a dying nature, you are often prone to adapt to the nature of that nature and lose touch with your nurturing nature. You lose your breath while breathing life through the nostrils of those you bring back to life. Only a few will awaken and give thanks for your breath of life, while many will awaken with an urge to take more breath from the breather, with the expectation of not reciprocating the breath of life to the mouth that uttered it. Many will rise with a boastful arrogance that makes them forgetful of the times of their fall, when they needed a hand to pull them out of their hole of misery. They will rise after CPR has been performed to save their lives and walk as though the paramedic was not there to breathe life into their dying vessels.

To the giver, the helper, the lover, and the empath, Do not resuscitate a body that prefers to remain lifeless. Do not waste your oxygen on those who deliberately ignore the beauty of being brought back to life. Do not offer your chair to those who will remain standing or those who will sit for a while and stand, leaving your chair unattended. Your gift of sharing your gift with the world is a precious gift to the world and deserves to be received with respect and gratitude. When walking with a crowd of unappreciative beings and an opportunity to be separated from them presents itself, grab it with all the strength in your palms. Leave them alone, and never attempt to invite any of them on your journey. Take all your light with you as you embark on roads that lead to places where your brightness will be appreciated. Do not leave anything of your own. Do not leave yourself behind.