"To travel with the unawakened makes the journey long and hard and is as painful as travelling with an enemy. But the company of the wise is as pleasant as meeting with friends. Follow the wise, the intelligent, and the awakened. Follow them as the moon follows the path of the stars." Dhammapada.

This quote, after my story last week about my 'distant and violent' father and the compassionate actions of the inspiring geography teacher and how it changed my life, clearly strikes a chord.

For me, we can all too often mix with, even live with, people who do not energise us.

We all have people in our lives who lean and people who lift.

If we spend time with those who lean, we weaken ourselves and for some of us, it can, as it did me while I stayed married, tip me into depression, as I was worn down by constant power games or materialistic attitudes.

Yet it is clear to us who we feel good with - even lifted by. Write these names down now.

So let me ask, who are you spending your time with?

If it is not those who lift - why is that and what can you, are you, going to do about it? All too often through family situations, or work, or some co-dependent situation we spend time with people who lean on us and drain us.

Unless we value ourselves enough to say no to certain people and situations, while even explaining why that is, we devalue ourselves. No one will place a greater value on you than you place on yourself.

How much do you value you and what action can you take, even with the assistance of those you value and trust - and who love you enough to lift you?

Les

A Moodscope member.