Moments That Open Your Heart #1
Guarded. Tough. Skeptical.
For survival purposes, you may have gotten very good at putting up a strong exterior. So much comes your way that it seems necessary. No blame. Most of us do this, especially as we travel through adversity, conflict and criticism.
But some moments open your heart. They might even come as a surprise to you.
Sitting in a theater, the lead sings with heart and emotion laid bare before the audience about the utmost truths of losing a baby and you choke back tears because the pain of this truth rings true even if it has not been your experience.
Out of the doldrums on your drive home, you notice a young, single mom waiting for the bus with her baby bundled up close to her in the bitter cold, and you just want to help make their life better.
Rolling along on an ordinary day, you learn of a fellow mother of teens whose cancer is back and untreatable and you are stopped in your tracks with grief.
Compassion. Arising not out of pity, but rather out of a sense of connection and solidarity with another human being. In an instant, you understand more than could possibly be said. And the normal guards you put up quickly come down. These are moments that open your heart. They are painful, and yet they are abundantly good. These moments may even lead to action that delivers a bit of comfort into a desperate situation.
The things that are fake dissolve and the things that are real champion the day as you experience…
Compassion.
Worth Repeating
True compassion means not only feeling another’s pain but also being moved to help relieve it.
– Daniel Goleman
