Most recently I have embarked on the journey of motherhood and I have learned that this journey is not without glimmering relevance to self-criticism and self-sacrifice.  I am tasked with looking at how to embrace softness and integrate it within my being. It seems to only flow outward to my child, to the staff I supervise, to the clients I serve, to my partner, and most recently to a camera lens staring back at me at work. Softness only kicks back to me, from me, minimally and without intention. I have the ability to maintain a bird's eye view in the moment but it doesn't help me much because I still neglect or criticize myself. I just watch myself, totally aware, neglecting self-care or criticizing, which somehow seems worse than being ignorant to the need for it at all. Why do I do this? I am a sensitive soul and I yearn for the softer side of life. I appreciate, soak in, and linger in hearing meaningful music, sensing emotion, making eye contact, reading beautiful words a