Silver service; military service; tennis service; evening service. The word has so many different connotations that we lose the thread that connects them; something done for another.

Whether it's our profession or our gift, service is our offering of skill or care to a fellow being.

We now have the term self-service, which mostly connotes convenience in shopping.

Do we ever truly serve ourselves, in the sense of offering our best to our own benefit?

A high quality of self-service is an important part of self-esteem.

By taking time for ourselves, treating ourselves gently, we demonstrate our belief that we deserve love.

Quality self-service doesn't only mean caring for our bodies, although that's important. 

It also means forgiving ourselves, letting mistakes remain in the past, and nourishing our spirits with good thoughts, good words, good deeds.

If we're to earn tranquility and joy in life, surely we can learn to serve ourselves with kindness.

The journey was so hot that they stopped to rest one day, and the only shade to be found was in the shadow of the camel.

The two of them began to argue about who had the rights to the camel's shadow -- the owner or the renter. They were so involved in their argument that the camel ran away and they didn't notice until it was long gone. 

Sometimes we get so caught up in being right that we become like these two, fighting over a shadow.

Instead of paying attention to our journey and sharing what we have, we let ourselves get distracted.

It is more important to notice what we have, to share it as best we can, and continue our journey.