RESPECT

     Respect yourself. Respect others. Respect the environment. This was the motto of my childrens' elementary school, and it makes perfect sense to me. These three statements say it all and apply on every level. But simple as they are, it's hard not to fall short one way or the other. Perhaps we have a tendency to misinterpret respect. I believe it has to do with care and kindness, with live and let live, and maybe more than anything, with gratitude and appreciation.
     It seems so reasonable. Of course we should respect the environment, and yet, we pollute it, both culturally and personally. We take the natural world for granted. And we're able to respect some people, but have little tolerance and lots of judgment for most others. And when it comes to self-respect, we are generally reckless. We easily abuse ourselves with criticizing thoughts; with stress, and food, and extreme behavior.
     Let's improve our levels of respect for all things by raising our awareness. Let's become mindful of what we send out into the world, because it is sure to come back around to us in the end.

I give respect and receive it in kind.