broken heart, open heart

 i love this quote and subsequent thoughts by chip conley, leader of modern elder academy...

“There are at least two ways to understand what it means to have our hearts broken. One is to imagine the heart broken into shards and scattered about. The other is to imagine the heart broken open into new capacity. As I stand in the tragic gap between reality and possibility, this small, tight fist of a thing called my heart can break open into greater capacity to hold more of my own and the world's suffering and joy, despair and hope.”

~ Parker Palmer in A HIDDEN WHOLENESS
 

If only our hearts had a “people counter” like the gatekeepers use at a large event. This gadget could remind us how many people we’ve let into our hearts so we can see how emotionally porous we are (wealthy in heart and spirit). 

How could you make your heart more porous and open? 

- Chip