learning and respecting.

first, the good news: last week was filled with quite a bit of tears and great moments of overwhelming loss, but thank God: i've stopped eating those damn rice krispy treats.

penelope trunk recently wrote an article about her best advice to twenty somethings... at the end, she says: “What should I be doing now?” is a question I get a lot from people in their 20s. The answer is that you should be respecting yourself as you learn about yourself. You should give yourself the space to do anything and then look closely to see what you enjoy. You do not need to get paid for what you enjoy, but you need to find a way to commit to what you enjoy, and then use that as a foundation to grow your adult life.

i'd like to think that i'm doing most of that... and i am, for the most part. these days i'm focusing on respecting myself as i learn about myself.

and what i'm learning about myself? seems like it's been the same things every day:

• i have the ability to walk away from something that's not what i want, even if it's healthy and amazing. i respect myself for being courageous. 
• i need to experience both romance and intimacy in the context of a relationship. i respect myself for this new understanding.
• i'm pretty good at communicating in the context of a romantic relationship. i respect myself for working so hard and making this a priority.
• i've put some serious work into learning about forgiveness and it's proven to change my perspective over time. i respect myself for giving and receiving second chances.
• i am emotionally and mentally stronger than i've ever been before. i respect myself for committing to strengthening myself.
• i am capable of functioning with honesty and integrity in an adult, romantic relationship. i respect myself for being vulnerable.

and through all of this i'll continue to take really big, deep breaths.