I was reminded recently of the tribe who circle around a person who has done something wrong and instead of admonishing, they sing that person's song back to them. I'm not a believer of discipline, I think when we do something wrong we mainly need bringing back to ourselves, we need kindness not cruelty, for people to be gentle not harsh. And so when I caught myself thinking I needed to kick myself up the bottom I realised I was caught up in our culture's unhelpful mean perspective.
Living through a global pandemic, feeling the rawness of losses, crying with empathy at the appealing stories on the news, I need to treat myself (and others) with the greatest degree of kindness possible. I know what I need to do but sometimes forget that my primary goal is to love myself, as well as others. Loving myself includes ensuring I get fresh air - I've been finding that I can go days without leaving the house. Within 5 minutes of walking from my front door I can be amongst hills, cows and trees, which is so restorative for me. I wonder how I can encourage myself to do this more frequently? I do not need to be more disciplined, I need to act more kindly towards myself. I'm confident this is completely possible.
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