![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Broken-heart-696x534.png\" "\\"Broken")
<\/div>\n\u201cYou have to keep breaking your heart until it opens.\u201d\u00a0I know. This statement sounds too clich\u00e9.<\/p>\n
But just like a seed pod has to crack in order for new life to spring forth, so too must our heart crack a little in order to let in the light and air necessary for us to grow.<\/p>\n
And yes, these are more terrible clich\u00e9s that you\u2019ve\u00a0seen a million times via inspirational memes, but you know what? Sometimes clich\u00e9s are created because they\u2019re true.<\/p>\n
So strap in, because I\u2019ve got wisdom coming at you right from Metaphorville.<\/p>\n
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Most of us, when our hearts are broken for the first time, decide we\u2019re not going to let it happen again and put up walls around our hearts to protect ourselves the next go round.<\/p>\n
Any subsequent heartbreaks result in us reinforcing the wall until we\u2019re operating a fully-functioning emotional fortress.<\/p>\n
Problem is: making yourself an island does no one any good \u2014 primarily you.<\/p>\n
The thing with developing calluses is that they protect us from pain, but they also keep us from feeling anything at all. And good God, what is the point of living with that?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how we\u00a0end up with so many loveless marriages\u00a0that go on for decades because neither party wants to make themselves vulnerable. Gross. <\/p>\n
When the great\u00a0poet and love philosopher Rumi\u00a0urged us to \u201cKeep breaking your heart until it opens,\u201d he didn\u2019t mean you should go keep throwing yourself at the same lost cause relationship that crushed you in the past, nor did he intend for each of us to flit from one abusive jerk to the next in hopes that one would stick with us.<\/p>\n
This quote is to be approached with moderation and delicateness, as with all matters of the heart.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t become stronger or more independent when you let your heart become cold and closed off in the aftermath of heartbreak.<\/p>\n
Taking that path is how you become a sociopath who emotionally stagnates in fear.<\/p>\n
Regardless if you\u2019re alone or not, is that unfeeling ice queen someone you\u2019re going to be able to love when you look in the mirror?<\/p>\n
It seems obvious, but you can\u2019t make room in your heart for someone if you keep the door locked, and even though the first few people you give it to aren\u2019t likely to stay forever, they call it \u201cHeartbreak\u201d instead of \u201cHeartIrreparably-Damaged-And-Forever-Out-Of-Commission\u201d for a reason.<\/p>\n
The heart is a part of the body, and like a broken arm, it\u2019ll heal itself to be even stronger if given some time. No need to take yourself out of the game entirely, just put some WD40 on your heart\u2019s door hinges.<\/p>\n
My point is, experiencing heartache doesn\u2019t have to cause you to harden over time. In fact, heartbreak is good for you.<\/p>\n
If you allow the process of\u00a0repairing a shattered heart to give you perspective, it can, instead, give you deeper insight into how rare a luxury it is to truly surrender yourself to someone you love, and how valuable it will be when you finally find that person you can trust with your heart.<\/p>\n
And with your firsthand knowledge about the delicate nature of vulnerability, you\u2019ll be perfectly suited to protecting your partner\u2019s heart, too. That kind of intimacy can\u2019t be bought, but can certainly be earned.<\/p>\n
Consider every heartache before making that your training grounds.<\/p>\n
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