Having Our Own Needs

For too long, we’ve stood in the background, attending to the needs of others and claiming we have no needs of our own. We’ve shut off, for too long, the part of us that longs to be nurtured. It is time, now, to claim those needs, to identify them, and to understand that we deserve to have them met. ~ Beattie, Melody. The Language of Letting Go: Hazelden Meditation Series (p. 333).

What do I need? "I'm just fine."
My parents remembered
my saying that as a pre-schooler
in the hospital. I never stopped
answering, "I'm just fine."
But how true is it?
I need a lightbulb changed,
but that will happen soon.
I need knee surgery
but a new insurance card first.
I need a prescription renewed...
but that insurance card first.
I really am just fine.
My Recovery improves home.
I need hugs but get them
at meetings, respect
but I leave the house
seven times a week,
and get that in abundance,
as well as through the computer.
What do I need? I need to be better
at acknowledgingI can't do it all,
at asking for help when I need it,
at accepting aid when I need it,
and pampering me
when that's what I need.