I have an everyday religion that
works for me. Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line. ~ Lucille
Ball
Most of us are familiar with the television
show ‘I Love Lucy.’ I grew up watching it
and always enjoyed the hilarious situations in which Lucy would find herself;
from the grape stomping episode to the one in which Lucy and Ethel worked in a
candy factory and couldn’t keep up with the conveyor belt of sweets. Good stuff and a happy, lighthearted childhood
memory.
Consider this – if the emphasis of the show’s title is changed and the speaker is Lucy herself, it becomes a radical statement of self-love. I – love – Lucy. I love me. I love myself. I believe Lucy did love herself and, in this, set the bar for generations of young women to love themselves even when the chips are down, you find yourself knee deep in grapes, or the sweets are coming far too fast to manage. In short, she set the stage as an example of someone who could love herself even when life borders on the absurd. For this reason and so many others, I love Lucy, too.
Today, on Valentine’s Day, I encourage
us all to follow Lucy’s example and start with self love, trusting the rest will
follow. ~ Mk Michaels
