Showing Up For Yourself (and Why it’s Hard)
Can We Learn to be Better Friends to Ourselves?
The idea of showing up for yourself is a bit odd; how could you not show up for yourself? You are you, after all! However, we all fall short of showing up for ourselves. It doesn’t simply mean that we are physically present; surely, we have no choice. Like many philosophical ideas, perhaps it’s best to think of it as being a friend to ourselves, as Seneca would encourage us to do. But what does this really mean?
Showing Up For Others
Hopefully, you have a friend or two. You at least have or had parents, though this doesn’t always translate to a friend, mother, or father. The point is: if you’ve ever had a close relationship with someone you genuinely cared about, I’m sure you know what it means to show up for them.
Lend Them an Egg!
If they are moving, if they need to talk about something, if they need to borrow an egg, what’s the right response as a friend? The answer is obvious; the right thing to do is help them move, listen to them, and lend them an egg.
