The Heart of the Matter

The Heart of the Matter I feel like my figurative heart has taken over my life. Maybe that’s fair: my metaphorical heart has dominated my existence for decades. It’s the real heart’s turn. But it takes so much time! Energy! Pills! I cannot wrestle out blocks of time long enough for more than the occasional blog or a short poem, first draft; it feels as though I open up my ancient computer, check my emails, pull up a working file, and it’s time to go. Yes, that’s a complaint, yet I acknowledge that, when I do get a block of extended time these days, I would rather watch old episodes of Doctor Who than work. And that’s on me. We all are dominated by our own self-interests, and most of the time that’s good. It’s called survival, and every now and then we must pull back from the world, listen to our bodies, and hibernate. How else can we be of help to others, if we are too exhausted to help ourselves? But, I keep reminding myself, Winter is over. I know how lucky I am. So many others have it much worse than what happened to me. But I can share best my own experiences and impressions. Sharing is therapy for me and it might be helpful to someone else. It might bridge a gap in understanding your own situation, or give someone suffering from similar issues the courage to seek the help they need. It comes back to listening heartily to your own body and your own mind. So if I go back to the heart of the matter from time to time, bear with me. It’s a good thing: my heart will go on – and on, and hopefully on – for a long, long time, season after season, and word after word.