How often do you recharge your own batteries? Isn't it amazing that we'll spend time and energy on things that can be replaced, like vehicles and computers, yet avoid taking time to care for the ultimate in non-renewable resources: ourselves? You can check out a tao moment, some quotes, or you can read about triumphing over abuse. If you're in a safe place, you can read one woman's story about abuse and triumph.

What have you done today that was completely for yourself? What have you done today that was completely unselfish? You cannot possibly attend to the needs of others if you do not first attend to your own needs. You cannot possibly attend to your own needs if you do not recognize what those needs are.

Learn to distinguish between what is important and what is urgent. When important tasks seem to be overtaken by urgent tasks, focus on your longterm goals. Attend to emergencies as they arise; prevent them whenever possible.

Would you like to Return to top of page, or check triumph over abuse, or (if you're in a safe place) read one woman's story , or continue?

These quotes may be uplifting and/or thought-provoking. If you would like to contribute a link with similar content, please email me.

"The grand essentials to happiness in this life are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for" - J. Addison

"Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself" - R.W. Emerson

"They are never alone that are accompanied with noble thoughts" - Sir P. Sidney

"What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say" - - R.W. Emerson

"Honesty pays, but it doesn't seem to pay enough to suit some people" - - K. Hubbard

Would you like to Return to top of page, or reread quotes, or continue to triumph over abuse, or (if you're in a safe place), read one womans' story about abuse and triumph?

This part relates to the triumph over abuse of many forms: physical, emotional, sexual, to children, to adults.

If you have a site you'd like to share thru this page, please email the URL to me . Thank you

Here is an excellent site for information on abuse-related issues: Free To Be

My views on abuse are fairly simple:
1. Don't let abuse happen to you.
2. Don't let abuse happen to others.
If only reaching these goals were as simple as writing them!

For those who aren't familiar with various forms of abuse and surviving them, I shall try to cover various topics in this page along with some excellent links. I believe that education is the starting point for recovery. First we must accept that abuse can and does happen. Then we should learn where we fit into the picture: Were you abused? Were you/are you abusive? How many people do you care about who were/are abused? (Note: not *if* - *how many*. It is highly unlikely that you don't know anyone whose life was affected by some form of abuse. If you don't believe that, go back to the first step, "accepting").
There are many forms of abuse. Some that come immediately to my mind are: physical abuse, emotional/verbal abuse, sexual abuse, substance abuse, ritual abuse. These can happen to infants, to toddlers, to children, to teens, and to adults including seniors. These can happen to able-bodied people as well as those with physical, mental and/or emotional disabilities. The people who are abused do not *ask* to be degraded. The one factor all types of abuse have in common, IMHO, is: the need for power. The abuser is a person of very little self-worth, who seeks to gain a sense of power by exerting unnatural control over others. Sometimes perpetrators seek out "helpless victims", the very young, the very old, those who are unable to speak up for themselves. Other perps prefer to seek out those who represent power, as they believe they can somehow steal the power from those whom they try to control. Generally, perpetrators are people who have survived abuse themselves. Rather than coming to terms with their survival, they choose to "act out" this abuse on others.

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