September 23, 2025- Love is truthful

The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.

~Lao Tzu

The truth can hurt, sometimes a lot. But the lies we tell ourselves and others, even when we have the best intentions, can cause pain that lasts much longer.

We are human, and we are flawed. Pointing out some of those flaws does not need to be hurtful, confrontational, or accusatory. We can approach it all from a place of love. We can care enough to tell the truth.

We tell ourselves lies because we may be afraid to face reality. Upon admitting that we have work to do on ourselves, we have to set out to demolish a piece of ourselves to replace it with something new. Our familiar, practiced behaviors are comfortable. We may not want to face the discomfort of change. But if we would like to grow into a better version of ourselves, that is exactly what we’re going to need to do. We don’t need to hate ourselves for being imperfect. We can focus on loving ourselves for our willingness to do the work to become just a little bit more perfect.

As for others, they deserve our honesty too. It is not our job to approach a stranger and tell her we hate her dress, but when asked, what purpose do we serve by being dishonest? Love is truthful.