Love is Practicing Self-Love

Once upon a time The Dingo noticed he wasn’t really himself anymore. He started to feel worn down, exhausted and just plain tapped out. He was still exercising & eating right, but something was definitely off. “Maybe I’m coming down with a cold,” thought The Dingo, “I better make an appointment with Dr. Bear, just to be sure.”

With his appointment made and hope in his heart for a speedy recovery, The Dingo made his way out the door and to the doctor’s office.

“Well hello there Dingo! What brings you in today?” asked Dr. Bear as he walked into the exam room. The Dingo went on to explain his strange symptoms as Dr. Bear listened intently.

After a full check up, Dr. Bear couldn’t find anything physically wrong with The Dingo. No fever. No infection. Not even a sniffle, but he could tell that something was bothering his patient. After all, The Dingo was very well known around town. His purpose to walk in love was talked about all the time and word spread quickly about how giving and thoughtful he was. It was rare to see him not smiling or full of life as a result of his actions.

Dr. Bear had a gut feeling about what could be wrong with The Dingo, so he asked him, “When was the last time you walked in love towards yourself?”

The Dingo was confused by the question and asked “What do you mean?”

“Well,” said Dr. Bear, “as important as it is to walk in love towards others, it’s equally important to walk in love towards yourself. If you are always giving of yourself, but never taking the time to refill yourself with the same energy and love you show others, you eventually start running on empty.” Dr. Bear went on to tell The Dingo about a renowned psychologist & social philosopher named Erich Fromm that said that loving oneself was important in order to love others properly. It’s called self-love.

Dr. Bear went ahead & wrote his patient a prescription for a day of rest and relaxation which was to be taken as needed.

It never dawned on The Dingo that part of his purpose to walk in love towards others meant that he had to also purpose to walk in love towards himself. Having this realization made The Dingo start feeling better almost immediately.

As The Dingo gathered his things and thanked Dr. Bear for his help, he couldn’t help but walk away with a skip in his step and a smile on his face as he made plans for a day of rest and relaxation. Per doctor’s orders, of course.

Walk in Love.