6/20/2007 5:17:39 AM

Respect… Webster’s defines it as “regard; a holding high in estimation or honor; to treat with consideration; to avoid interfering with or intruding on.” It comes in many forms i.e.  Respect of self, spouse, significant other, friends, family, collars, Master, slave, all of which are important.  There is much to be said about all forms of respect, but one thing rings true. Unless one has respect for oneself, the others will not follow.  Respect for oneself is sometimes a tough thing. It can be as simple as getting up and brushing your teeth in the morning so as not to drive others away or as tough as having enough guts to say to someone, “I don’t like the way you’re acting. It hurts me, and I’d like you to stop.” Respect for oneself doesn’t mean you need to be a “in your face bitch” about everything, nor does it make you a doormat. It means setting limits to what you will and won’t put up with and sticking to it. To have enough consideration for yourself to not let others treat you like you don’t matter and to let them know when they do. We all have our “less than stellar” days, and it is on those days when we realize just how much we are willing to take.   I believe that there is a basic level of respect which one must treat everyone with across the board, no matter what their station in life. From Master to slave, President to pauper, we are all human. We all laugh, cry, get emotional, scream, and bleed. We are all stupid when we’re young and wiser when older.  This levels the playing field. In spite of what some people think, money does not buy happiness or respect. Just because people “have” the money, doesn’t mean they have what counts. In my life I have met more people who think that because they have the money, they can do and act whichever way they choose and it will be acceptable, when that is so not the case. I went to high school with a lot of them. I was clearly the “have not” in a “have” world. Did that make them treat me differently? Yes, it did. Did I treat them any different than my friends? Yes, it did. It made me pity them more for in some ways they’ll never make that “real” connection with someone. Lately, things have happened that have caused me to take a hard look at myself.  I have noticed that I’ve not been respecting myself much lately.  I’ve not been standing up for myself.  I’ve been letting some who are close to Me run My life. When I have made a decision and it was not the right one, according to them, they have had the nerve to run Me up one side and down the other. They have had the nerve to tell Me that I’m not doing the right thing and that they are unhappy about My decision and thus making Me second guess Myself. Well, thing is, it’s My decision. I choose whom I wish to be with and who My friends are. If someone is going to take issue with that, then they were really never My friend in the first place. One other thing about respect, always be aware that it is a two way street. If you want to get it, you have to give it, but it must come from within first to be relevant to anyone else. She walks off singing..”R-E-S-P-E-C-T… find out what it means to Me…