Over fifteen years ago I set for myself a goal that I still have today – to keep both my eyes and my heart open.
By eyes open I mean looking at things as they really are, no matter how hard the truth may be, never sugar coating or escaping.
By heart open I mean continuing to make my spirit a place where love can easily flow in and out, where there is joy and hope.
Either of these is fairly straightforward to do on its own, but it is not enough. Attempting to have both eyes and heart open is one of the greatest challenges I know because the more one’s eyes open, the more one’s heart tends to close; and the more one’s heart opens, the more one’s eyes begin to close.
If my heart is open to love and joy but my eyes are closed to pain and reality then I am naive and can be of very little use to bring healing in the real world. If my eyes are open but my heart is closed I become cynical and jaded and I am very little beneficial use, period.
But to have both – to see and know and understand and yet to feel and love fully – what could we not do if we were able to stand in this place?
