In response to a poem about breaking away from an abusive relationship, I wrote the following comment:
The first indication of self-love is letting go of the heavy sack we have been dragging around for so long. Normally, we identify love with the act of holding on, and self-love with the act of holding on to what defines us.
In fact, more often it is in letting go that we free ourselves simply and quietly to be, and we need to be who we are before we can love ourselves, let alone anyone else, in a manner that is open to the possibility of joy.
The original poem that inspired this comment is “I escaped into your belonging” by Harley Ray. The poem may be found here: