I viewed a lot of “hater” Valentine Day quotes, images, and jokes yesterday. And hey, that’s okay, been there, done that, too.
This made me think about the times I’ve been brokenhearted.
It sucks when your heart is broken, double sucks when it’s before the holidays, Valentine’s Day, or New Year’s Eve-all the majors.
When our hearts break, we examine and turn each chunk of our shattered heart over and over, ‘we got along so well, the dates were good, we laughed, he shared himself, I listened, don’t I get points for listening?’
We can rehash that scenario until the second coming.
What the brokenhearted needs (at least I did) is time and some action to put the pieces back together. Time to practice some self-care and self-love.
Imagine this scenario:
Light some candles and fill a basin with warm water. Now, imagine holding a chunk of your heart safely in your hand.
View it carefully. Look at the bruises, the bumps, the splinters embedded deep into the recesses.
Soak your heart piece in the water until it plumps up and everything not of the heart floats away. The water may turn dark and murky.
Blot the little lump dry. Place it lovingly, like you would an infant, on a warm towel. Swaddle your heart and cuddle it until you feel warm inside.
Come on, it’s not silly to care for yourself. Go ahead, wrap your fingers around your hunk and let your hands provide a cocoon to nurture your heart.
Find the other pieces, there on the floor, or under the bed, where you cried until you shook. Pick them up.
Tomorrow you can go through the process again with the other pieces.
When all the pieces are bathed, lift them to your chest, the left side, feel the warmth against your clothes or skin.
Take a deep breath, maybe two, and open your hands. They are empty now, having released your heart back into place.
Remember, your hands did this, your nurturing helped put together the pieces. It was your careful handling, over time, that made your heart whole again.
You did this for yourself and you aren’t holding on to broken pieces anymore.
Now you can celebrate any holiday.
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Thank you for sharing this…it is lovely, and so true! The ritual of self-care not only nurtures, but heals. Everyone has experienced a broken heart. Some many times. I know people who got stuck, and never recovered, in large part in order to avoid the pain. Avoidance deepens our fears and prevents us from living fully. Even little heart-breaks can be mended by mindfully listening to that song that makes you quake, experiencing the deepness of it and letting it be. Moving through it is important to me…loving myself is not as easy…but with practice I am freeing myself to love again…
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“Avoidance deepens our fears…” that is very true. Thank you for sharing so eloquently.
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