The Only Valuable Gift You Can Give Another Is Yourself
Clara to Paul: “You’ve given me everything, except yourself.” D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers I believe most every codependent thinker can relate to this quote from D.H. Lawrence. We are used to giving others everything. We give them our time, our concern, our help, our money, gifts, dinners, cards—literally everything, but ourselves. And this happens because most codependents have no self awareness, and so no self to give to another. Prior to recovery, the average codependent has refused, mostly out of shame and fear, to go inside themselves. They have no real knowledge of who they are. Most codependents are accustomed to fading-into others. They like what you like, are anxious to do whatever you want to do, believe what you believe, feel what you feel, and think what you think. They have no concept of self and so they can’t speak of their dreams, desires, wants and needs. This lack of self-knowledge leaves them with nothing of real value to give to a relationship. The most valuabl...