Pride

A sense of one's own proper dignity or value; self-respect.
Pleasure or satisfaction taken in an achievement, possession, or association: parental pride.
Arrogant or disdainful conduct or treatment; haughtiness.

A cause or source of pleasure or satisfaction; the best of a group or class: These soldiers were their country's pride.
The most successful or thriving condition; prime: the pride of youth.
An excessively high opinion of oneself; conceit.
Mettle or spirit in horses.
A company of lions. See synonyms at flock1.
A flamboyant or impressive group: a pride of acrobats.
tr.v., prid·ed, prid·ing, prides.
To indulge (oneself) in a feeling of pleasure or satisfaction: I pride myself on this beautiful garden.

[Middle English, from Old English pr[ymacr]de, from prūd, proud. See proud.]

When is it too much, and when is it not enough?
Where is the line drawn? Who moves it?
Do we have to express it?
If we don't, we become the doormat.
We have to swing the pendulum to gain a balance.
We must then become the opposite of what we were, or were we already there?????
Perhaps it is then we digress...

Thoughts to sleep on.

Learning

Life is funny, just when you think you have mastered your emotions, your weaknesses, your strengths the universe hits you upside the head and kix your butt into some new dimension you've never known existed. Well, pleasant surprises and scary revelations. What to do with all that you thought you had dealt with...

Here's to yet another beginning on this journey in my life.