Self-Care as Service

Charity Begins Within

I’d been reaching out to a friend who was going through something difficult. “I’d like to help you,” I told her. “What can I do?”

“There’s nothing, Aaron,” she replied. “Take care of yourself.”

A few days later, I sent a text:

“I’ve thought of something very practical that I can do to help.

I’m going to focus on my sobriety.”

“That’s perfect.”

A young man on YouTube was talking about Service being a call to Meaning. But when he talked about Service he didn’t go immediately to Charity or even to external things. Instead, he talked about working on his own Virtue, being the best Self he could be.

“Dealing with addiction is all about Self-Care,” my psychiatrist told me the other day, starting me off on some new meds. The idea is that to be a beneficent presence in the world, I need to be healthy. Then I can work towards being generous toward all, for the benefit of all beings. I can’t help anyone if I’m part of the problem.