Self Pity is Never Helpful

     It is always  damaging to compare oneself to another.  There will always be someone richer, luckier in love, you name it. I do a lot of pity partying and it never makes me feel better.  
     Life as the I Ching says, consists of an ebb and flow.  Sometimes, I think I need to take charge, make something happen for me.  I think, 'something is not right.'  I second guess myself, my life, my decisions and waste time and energy, sometimes lying in bed at night, thinking of all I should have done different.
     If I compare myself to anyone else and start to feel ashamed of who I am or what I have in terms of material possessions, I am not serving myself.  If I appreciate the beauty of life and what I have, I am better off.
     I am a mother, a daughter and a sister.  I am a friend, a woman, a lot of things.  Why should I put myself down?  Why should I think, 'well, I'm not as skinny as... or I am not as tall as... and my hair is not straight but curly...?'  The point is that it is OK for me to feel good about who I am, period.  I do not need to go under a metamorphosis, just be.  Yes, I make mistakes, lose friends, alienate others, have plenty of enemies, but Psalm 23, King David says: ..."He prepareth me a table in the presence of my enemies, He annointeth me with oil..."
     If I make gratitude lists and adhere to true, not false humility, all will be well.  If I live by love and not the drive of the ego, I can be happy.  If I can attack no one, live and let live, be with what is, I can be happy.  And lastly, if I stop chasing my ego's ambition and remember that love for love's sake is why I am here, all will be well.  Shanti.