Respect

       Isn’t respect just about the basis for everything?  It is the foundation of the best friendships, the best marriages, the best working relationships, and really just about everything.  It is what makes the world go round.  If you haven’t got mutual respect, you have nothing.  There is no order. There isn’t anything, zilch, nada.   Once you have lost all respect for someone, you are pretty much finished.  It is all over.  The fat lady has sung.

        I expect and hope for the respect of my husband and children.  You give me respect, you get it back.  It just makes life a lot smoother.  It isn’t a complicated concept or rocket science.  It is common sense and decency.  Everyone should be treated with dignity, respect, and kindness.   Everyone in this world has something special to contribute and so much to give.  Everyone has an equal chance to earn the respect of their family, friends, and colleagues.  It kind of brings home the ole saying about treating others the way you would like to be treated.  If you treat someone bad, you will get treated badly in return.  It is karma and it always comes around, always.      It will bite you in the butt worse than anything you can imagine.

       Respect is about following the rules.  It is about getting along with others.  It is about coloring within the lines.  It is all about caring.  If you don’t care, your actions will show it and you will be hard pressed to ever be on the receiving end of respect.    First and foremost, you have to like and respect yourself. You must do your best in all things.  If you can’t even look in the mirror and respect the person looking back at you, you will play hell convincing anyone else to respect you.  It is a choice.  Do you choose to demand respect from others?  You should because you are worth it.  While respect in almost instances is earned, it starts and ends with Y-O-U.  R-E-S-P-E-C-T, I’ve told you what it means to me.  What does it mean to you?  Aretha couldn’t have said it better.