The Christian denomination of which I am a part has a “tag line” of Open Minds, Open Hearts, Open Doors. Embodying that, to me, is to live wholeheartedly, especially in the spirit of Yram’s post, and the aspect of giving and receiving.
I’ve always lived whole heartedly
much to my parents chagrin and fear . . .
always getting into things,
running in rain puddles
when I should be warm and dry inside,
exploring the culverts in our neighborhood,
and not always paying attention to where my feet took me.
At a very early age
I was run over by a teenager on an English racer
and broke my collarbone when I was about four years old,
and soon afterwards
had my head cracked open
by running underneath a homemade wooden swing
that my next door neighbor,
Peggy,
was trying it out for the first time.
I remember it all too . . .
the cot in the hospital,
the cold of the x-ray machine against my chest,
the doctor’s hands
fondling my bleeding skull.
But none of these things stopped me.
It was only later,
as a young adult,
when real tragedy visited me
that my world fell apart
and I no longer trusted a loving Universe.
I never questioned though,
‘why me?’
It has taken most of the rest of my adult life
to climb out of the gaping hole that was left in my heart,
and has only been in recent years
that I have found healing and Grace.
I can almost embrace the world whole heartedly,
and let go of the fear,
and even now,
I admit
that the old anxiety slithers in to my thinking.
I went from pain and denial
to reluctant acceptance,
and now I can say truthfully,
that I fully embrace the Life that has been given me
without qualifications,
without fear and doubt . . .
with only a smidgeon of hesitation.
I’m not done yet,
but I can feel the deep Goodness
that is offered me,
held within every gift that I am given today. ♥
ps. I wonder what my response was
the last time this Question
was asked (?)
Like all things that reference time. What you wrote then was appropriate then. What you wrote today is appropriate for today. Funny how the mind wanders into wonder, dear Sparrow.
Living wholeheartedly to me means being open to life, the good, the bad, the sorrow, the joy, all of it.
Embrace it all. Feel it all.
Laugh, cry.
Welcome it all in.
Say yes to life, to living.
Be thankful.
🕊️❤️
Living wholeheartedly means living with an open, malleable heart…and this is very difficult for me to do – keep that heart open and softened!
Before I know it that invisible armor, to protect myself, has slowly and stealthily begun to shield me. Like a molten substance that crawls up and hardens.
Then I realize what has occurred over time, and work to dismantle that “protective coating.”
Sometimes I feel like the sea, where the constant cycle of tides come and go…
Living wholeheartedly means being open to the whole of whatever experience I’m having, taking it in to become part of who I am going forward. This includes the bad as well as the good. It requires fully feeling whatever emotions arise and acknowledging them, not suppressing them. I think of it as approaching life and the world around me with enthusiasm for what it might hold.
Living wholeheartedly means being honest with myself about where I’m at. From there, I can act and relate within my values. For context, the *not*-wholehearted behavior would be to punish myself for feeling a certain way, overriding where I’m at, and putting on an act.
I like Mark Nepo’s definition “…keeping our heart open…” I share a meditation I wrote on wholeheartedness.
Morning Meds May 15 2023 What does it mean to live wholeheartedly?
I immediately think of non-resistance (go with the flow), Presence, open heart and open mind…Mindful that what we give in every situation and what we take in every situation matters and should be life-giving. I thought of the cycle of our breath. It’s giving and taking/taking and giving. We take in nitrogen and oxygen from the air and give back mostly carbon dioxide to feed the plants. They in turn breathe in the carbon dioxide and release the oxygen we need to maintain our life. It’s such a profound example of wholeheartedness, healthy giving and taking.
When I did a search in my documents on wholeheartedness I found this definition of it:
“Wholeheartedness is not about doing more; it’s about how you do what you do. Try to bring your full presence to what you do, including resting wholeheartedly when rest is what is truly called for”
Another quote I find helpful: “The ego wants resolution, wants to control impermanence, wants something secure and certain to hold on to. It freezes what is actually fluid, it grasps at what is in motion, it tries to escape the beautiful truth of the fully alive nature of everything. As a result, we feel dissatisfied, haunted, threatened. We spend much of our time in a cage created by our own fear of discomfort.”
Welcoming the Unwelcome
Wholehearted Living in a Brokenhearted World
by Pema Chödrön,
page 32–33
To me, right now, living whole heartedly, means being open to all of it. Not running from or dulling the edges or checking out. Of course it’s a practice. So I’m still just practicing. But I’m getting better at it.
Living wholeheartedly:
Show up
Don ‘t congeal
Be inquisitive
Laugh out loud
Mingle with folks and nature
Nourish all aspects of life
Give and receive graciously
Living wholeheartedly to me means choosing happiness and making the most out of each day despite my battle with depression and grief, despite anxiety, despite how the day looks, the time I woke up, what happened the day before. Life is truly so meaningful and there is so much good in it if you look, and most importantly it is precious. I refuse to allow my last day to end badly or feel like I did not at least try towards my goals and future, simply because I selfishly assumed I had more time.
In the same sense I do this gracefully, it does not mean always being happy or never getting angry. It is just reminding yourself that those moments and feelings and temporary but feeling them as hard as you need will also provide you growth and much more appreciation for the future <3 .
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That my laughter may occasionally be mixed with tears as I walk through each day. Weekend Blessings to all! Peace☮️
The Christian denomination of which I am a part has a “tag line” of Open Minds, Open Hearts, Open Doors. Embodying that, to me, is to live wholeheartedly, especially in the spirit of Yram’s post, and the aspect of giving and receiving.
Open mind open heart is an amazing book also 💕
I’ve always lived whole heartedly
much to my parents chagrin and fear . . .
always getting into things,
running in rain puddles
when I should be warm and dry inside,
exploring the culverts in our neighborhood,
and not always paying attention to where my feet took me.
At a very early age
I was run over by a teenager on an English racer
and broke my collarbone when I was about four years old,
and soon afterwards
had my head cracked open
by running underneath a homemade wooden swing
that my next door neighbor,
Peggy,
was trying it out for the first time.
I remember it all too . . .
the cot in the hospital,
the cold of the x-ray machine against my chest,
the doctor’s hands
fondling my bleeding skull.
But none of these things stopped me.
It was only later,
as a young adult,
when real tragedy visited me
that my world fell apart
and I no longer trusted a loving Universe.
I never questioned though,
‘why me?’
It has taken most of the rest of my adult life
to climb out of the gaping hole that was left in my heart,
and has only been in recent years
that I have found healing and Grace.
I can almost embrace the world whole heartedly,
and let go of the fear,
and even now,
I admit
that the old anxiety slithers in to my thinking.
I went from pain and denial
to reluctant acceptance,
and now I can say truthfully,
that I fully embrace the Life that has been given me
without qualifications,
without fear and doubt . . .
with only a smidgeon of hesitation.
I’m not done yet,
but I can feel the deep Goodness
that is offered me,
held within every gift that I am given today. ♥
ps. I wonder what my response was
the last time this Question
was asked (?)
Like all things that reference time. What you wrote then was appropriate then. What you wrote today is appropriate for today. Funny how the mind wanders into wonder, dear Sparrow.
Yes,
it is,
dear Joseph . . .
I wonder a lot. 🙂
Seems like getting hurt is a huge part of staying open . No matter what hits you keep open .
Living wholeheartedly to me means being open to life, the good, the bad, the sorrow, the joy, all of it.
Embrace it all. Feel it all.
Laugh, cry.
Welcome it all in.
Say yes to life, to living.
Be thankful.
🕊️❤️
☀️
❤️
Living wholeheartedly means living with an open, malleable heart…and this is very difficult for me to do – keep that heart open and softened!
Before I know it that invisible armor, to protect myself, has slowly and stealthily begun to shield me. Like a molten substance that crawls up and hardens.
Then I realize what has occurred over time, and work to dismantle that “protective coating.”
Sometimes I feel like the sea, where the constant cycle of tides come and go…
Living wholeheartedly means being open to the whole of whatever experience I’m having, taking it in to become part of who I am going forward. This includes the bad as well as the good. It requires fully feeling whatever emotions arise and acknowledging them, not suppressing them. I think of it as approaching life and the world around me with enthusiasm for what it might hold.
Coming back to add a poem that just landed in my in-box from a list I subscribed to (https://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/poetrylovers/).
This Stumbling Heart Has Broken Strings
This stumbling heart
softens with rain
roots in embers
a rambling spring
genuflects in grief
This stumbling heart
grounded in silence
a fallow field
raw with humility
hammock of sorrow
This stumbling heart
sheds tears of stone
aches with unknowing
seeks worthiness
is wordless
This stumbling heart
alive with astonishment
weeps with kindness
bows in awe
lives within circles of beings
– Rebecca Evert
Living wholeheartedly means being honest with myself about where I’m at. From there, I can act and relate within my values. For context, the *not*-wholehearted behavior would be to punish myself for feeling a certain way, overriding where I’m at, and putting on an act.
I like Mark Nepo’s definition “…keeping our heart open…” I share a meditation I wrote on wholeheartedness.
Morning Meds May 15 2023 What does it mean to live wholeheartedly?
I immediately think of non-resistance (go with the flow), Presence, open heart and open mind…Mindful that what we give in every situation and what we take in every situation matters and should be life-giving. I thought of the cycle of our breath. It’s giving and taking/taking and giving. We take in nitrogen and oxygen from the air and give back mostly carbon dioxide to feed the plants. They in turn breathe in the carbon dioxide and release the oxygen we need to maintain our life. It’s such a profound example of wholeheartedness, healthy giving and taking.
When I did a search in my documents on wholeheartedness I found this definition of it:
“Wholeheartedness is not about doing more; it’s about how you do what you do. Try to bring your full presence to what you do, including resting wholeheartedly when rest is what is truly called for”
Another quote I find helpful: “The ego wants resolution, wants to control impermanence, wants something secure and certain to hold on to. It freezes what is actually fluid, it grasps at what is in motion, it tries to escape the beautiful truth of the fully alive nature of everything. As a result, we feel dissatisfied, haunted, threatened. We spend much of our time in a cage created by our own fear of discomfort.”
Welcoming the Unwelcome
Wholehearted Living in a Brokenhearted World
by Pema Chödrön,
page 32–33
Once again, writings to ponder. Thank you, Carol Ann.
”Mindful that what we give in every situation and what we take in every situation matters and should be life-giving.”
You are right,
dear Carol Ann . . .
everything counts. ♥
That is a great quote by Pema Chodron. Thank you Carol.
To me, right now, living whole heartedly, means being open to all of it. Not running from or dulling the edges or checking out. Of course it’s a practice. So I’m still just practicing. But I’m getting better at it.
That’s the point of practice,
dear Charlie . . .
getting better at it.
Bravo 🙂
Yes, well put Charlie. Definitely a practice, and getting better at it.
I think… living wholeheartedly is when I communicate with others; I think with my heart, not my head.
Wisdom
My Ngoc, it’s nice to be able to speak from the heart. We don’t need to scan the room. Like Joseph said, just jump in without testing the waters.
To me, living wholeheartedly means finding purpose in the things I do, whether it is work or fun.
Living wholeheartedly:
Show up
Don ‘t congeal
Be inquisitive
Laugh out loud
Mingle with folks and nature
Nourish all aspects of life
Give and receive graciously
I am always practicing to not ‘congeal’, dear Yram.
Thank you! And I love “don’t congeal”.
. . . in a nutshell,
dear Yram . . .
love it. ♥
Beautifully said. Thank you, YRAM
There are up times and there are down times. When I can embrace all of these times, I will be able ro live life wholeheartedly.
That’s why we practice,
dear Richard . . .
is it not? ♥
Acceptance!
Living wholeheartedly to me means choosing happiness and making the most out of each day despite my battle with depression and grief, despite anxiety, despite how the day looks, the time I woke up, what happened the day before. Life is truly so meaningful and there is so much good in it if you look, and most importantly it is precious. I refuse to allow my last day to end badly or feel like I did not at least try towards my goals and future, simply because I selfishly assumed I had more time.
In the same sense I do this gracefully, it does not mean always being happy or never getting angry. It is just reminding yourself that those moments and feelings and temporary but feeling them as hard as you need will also provide you growth and much more appreciation for the future <3 .