When I feel into my heart in this moment, I feel a lot of grief and sadness for all of the suffering in the world.
And with the topic of sexual abuse once again in the media here in the U.S., I feel very tenderhearted toward everyone who’s being triggered by this and any memories it might be evoking.
It can be so easy to want to shut the heart down. To close it off and not feel all of it.
The problem is when we shut down or protect our hearts, we also close out intimate, loving relationships – which is a HUGE price to pay.
To live with an open heart… even when it feels like too much… even when the world is overwhelming… even when you’ve been badly hurt before.
Because living with an open heart is the only way to truly experience the depth of love that you are yearning for.
Is it scary? Yes.
I ebb and flow in my openness often.
But I can tell you from experience, allowing your heart to feel it all is –
I had a friend when I was 18, her name was Frances. She was 70 at the time and had lived a wild and bold life, full of passionate love.
She said to me once. “You can live your life in one of two ways…. You can put on blinders and pretend everything is ‘fine’.
Or you can get on the rollercoaster of life and experience all of the highs and lows that it gives you.“
To live it all. To feel it all.
And yes, there are moments when I envy those who seem to float through life with their comfortable blinders on.
But those moments of envy don’t last long, because… my heart needs depth and connection.
Even when that means feeling all of the hard stuff too.
To feel LOVE like this… it’s worth it.
So take a moment now.
Breathe into your heart. Feel all that she has to show you.
Allow it to move through you as much as you can right now.
Stay present with the feelings.
If they are challenging, imagine a golden light of unconditional love surrounding them.
See if you can stay completely present with your heart for at least 5 minutes.
Keep stretching into this practice a little more each day, and I promise, you will move into deeper connection with LOVE.
Sending your heart a whole lotta nourishment.
Love,