From the Heart
I’ve been thinking a lot about the heart recently – you know that place that is the seat of our emotions, that muscle that pumps blood through out bodies until our dying breath, beating as many as 6 billion times without ever taking a break. I’m thinking about what it is that makes for a healthy, happy heart.
I started coming up with words, phrases that include the word HEART and was amazed at how many there are, some of which come in pairs of opposites. Things like:
Hard-hearted and soft-hearted
Broken-hearted
Cold-hearted
Heavy heart and light heart
Lion-hearted
Cruel-hearted
Heart worth its weight in gold
Black heart
Take heart
In yoga we do a lot of heart-opening poses, working hard to “shine out” our hearts that often get hidden as we hunch over our work and fail to use good posture. For many of us this is difficult because an open heart seems so vulnerable.
I have lately been praying for a soft and open heart. Is it too much to ask that someone else’s heart be open as well, dropping the protective veneer?
posted by Barbara at 5:21 PM
11 Comments:
I think you already have an open heart, but asking for more understanding of how and why we make attachments and with whom we choose relationships is important for understanding others and ourselves.
None of us can control what another person chooses to do or not do. Sometimes the best we can do is struggle to keep our hearts open, especially if something hasn't worked out the way we thought it would, and try to understand where our expectations came from and perhaps, let them go.
As for keeping the heart happy, for me that comes from focusing on who in my life makes me laugh, gives me purpose, allows me to be the best I can be and enjoy those with whom I can have fun. Sometimes it also involves sticking with people through tough times and learning to be there for them, too.
Heart of gold. Heart of stone. Heartless. Heartfelt. Hearty. Hearth. Home. Home is where the heart is. I could follow a stream of consciousness on this forever!
Both Openhearted and open-minded seem like good things to be.
E -- You are so wise and I'm getting the sense that you understand me so well. I'm glad you have taken a place in my heart!
Kristin -- Yes, amazing how many heart phrases exist. Maybe not, considering how central our hearts are to everything we do.
Open and heart seems to pair well!
I wonder when the heart became the symbol of love and commitment, as in "my heart is broken" or "from the bottom of my heart" or "my heart just isn't in it." The heart's just an organ that pumps blood, right? So why isn't it "my spleen is broken" and "I'm pouring my liver and soul into this"?
MC -- Even though you might "vent your spleen", you can live without a one. But a heart of some sort is essential. A liver (or at least a piece of one) is necessary, but nobody even wants to talk about what a liver does, let alone pour one's liver into anything, and it is not central to the body the way the heart is.
It's interesting that when you look at a fetus on a sonogram, from very early on you can see the baby's heart beating, well before the rest of the body is fully formed.
I think it comes back to the centrality of the heart and its crucial function.
But as to why love and commitment couldn't have been associated more with the brain, who knows? Maybe heartache is real, and lord knows love and commitment often bring on heartache.
Why am I not surprised that mc would suggest using the spleen as the symbol the love? :)
That should be "for love", of course!
I sing this one at work...
("Heart Of My Heart", I love that melody
"Heart Of My Heart" brings back a memory)
When we were kids on the corner of the street
We were rough 'n ready guys
But oh, how we could harmonize"
I may change it to "Spleen of my Speen"!
Bulletholes -- Spleen just can't compete with heart!
Yeah, I liked that song too. Now I've got it stuck in my head. Need to put on my tap shoes or maybe that called for a soft shoe...
Actually, what's interesting is that when we suffer an emotional loss, we really seem to FEEL it in our hearts! We all know that intense ache right at the core of our chests. I guess that's why no one says we have a broken spleen!
Aileen -- Maybe you and MC should have a heart-to-heart talk about hearts and spleens...
Steve -- You are absolutely right. I couldn't even tell you where my spleen is, but when my heart aches I know exactly where that pain is located.
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