ABC’s of Self-Realization: Necessary Nurturing

There is so much to be said when speaking of nurturing. So many women have been raised in stereotypical fashion to be nurturers of everyone else but themselves. The necessary nurturing spoken of here is to inform women (and even some men) that we have to learn to nurture and take care of ourselves in order to be truly beneficial for others.

Most women know that their role is to be comforting, giving, loving, accepting, and caring. That’s a given. What they have forgotten or not even realized is that they are just as valuable and important as everyone else they care for. They have as much right and innate worth to be nurtured and cared for as those they love.

For those people who are single parents, they have the right to take care of themselves by taking small amounts of alone time during the day. They can soak in a bubble bath after all the kids are asleep in bed. They can curl up on the couch or under soft, warm covers to read a book or listen to soothing music.

They can draw, paint, or write whatever flows from their heart and brings them some kind of release of tension or sense of peace. They can go for a walk, to reflect on nature and the beauty that surrounds them. Obviously, sometimes, they may need to get a sitter to take care of their children or elderly parents or disabled siblings or whomever it may be, in order to go out on their own for a little while, just to get a sense of independent freedom from the happenings of their everyday role.

Those who work and strive to bring help, strength, and comfort to others are some of the most unsung heroes in life. They are taken for granted, more often than not. They are not recognized for who they are or what they do. Yet, it is the honest truth that the most highly-deserving people are the ones who are the least nurtured.
Why is it that our society and the world, in general, honor people who play sports or sing songs or act in movies more highly than those who are the most giving, most caring, most unselfish people alive? There seems to be no justice in this picture, is there? What can be done to give recognition and gratitude to those who go so unnoticed? They are simple questions with simple answers. Each of us who love or know someone who is a nurturer just needs to make a more steady effort in giving that person acknowledgement. Each of us needs to continue to strive in a higher state of awareness to let these precious people know that they are never, ever taken for granted. Each of us needs to know that we ARE those precious people, that we ARE worthy of acknowledgement and our own sense of freedom.

Even if we can’t get that gratitude from others, we can surely show it to ourselves! We must truly believe in our innate goodness and value and worth.