It was a great day for me when I learned that the heart is the centerpost of life. To be centered in the heart is to be available to the richest, most meaningful, most transforming essence of being. We self-limit life when we’re oblivious to the heart, encountering only the superficial aspects. I know this because I lived earlier chapters of my life that way. Now the heart’s path requires things many people run from: intimacy, vulnerability, honesty, openness. But it’s worth it, for opening the heart leads us back to the magic and possibilities of life, love and self.
A woman emerged from a brain tumor operation with the shocking news that she was blind. She went through all the natural reactions of anger, self-pity, despair and denial. One day she realized she needed to ask for help…a definite step of heart. She entered rehabilitation and soon took another step of heart: reaching out. She met a man who was blind from birth and had never experienced a birthday party. So she organized one, baked the cake and rejoiced when he deliriously blew out the candles neither he nor she could see. She realized that this, too, was the birthday of her new life.
There is no power greater than love, no difficulty it cannot conquer, no darkness it cannot illumine. Let’s re-embrace the most precious and exalted capacity of all – heart!