respect

had a conversation just a bit ago with a friend...
it was one of those heavy ones. she's tryin' to make
some big decisions in her life.

we talked of love, kindness, respect, and being honest
with yourself.

i've been doin' a lotta thinking since i hung up....

i see SO clearly right now how incredibly important
respect is in a relationship. i really don't think you
can have one without it. i really don't. it seems like
a no brainer.

but we let that slide all the time.
why?
man, that's a good question, isn't it??
and i'm sure there's a thousand reasons....

one that came up in the conversation was the non respecting
of your own self.

if you don't resepct yourself, you allow others to disrespect
you.

all simple, easy concepts til you sit and think about your own
life and where you let that happen....
at least, that's how it works for me.

oh, it's easy to say to someone 'are you sure you're respecting
yourself here?'
um.......i think that's one heck of a question i should be asking
my own self all day, every day.
with every action, every word.

respect.
hmm.........
i'm thinkin' it's as powerful a word as love.
maybe they're the same thing??