I can almost guarantee there will be people and experiences that will break your heart. It’ll ache with loss or it’ll be broken by betrayal. Our hearts are full of contradictory emotions – it expands with thumping beats when it’s elated and contracts with stings of death when it’s sad. At times, the unbearable searing pain of sorrow rips our hearts apart and leaves emptiness deep within our souls. And so we begin to carry the heavy weight of our hearts into isolation and despair.

We can respond to heartbreaks in two ways, we can make a vow to never give our hearts away or we can risk being vulnerable again – to simply be human. It takes courage to choose the latter.

Let life not harden your heart or let people break your trust in humanity. Let your heartache not paint the canvas of your life with protectiveness, fear and disillusionment – for this isn’t truly living life to the fullest. Rather acknowledge the pain, take time to mourn the loss and have the courage to open yourself up again because life is beautiful, yes, even in the painful moments. I’ve learned that beauty is born out of our struggles, our losses and the excruciating pain in life. It’s what makes us beautiful, sensitive and compassionate.

Allow your heartache to transform you. Let your sorrow enlighten you. And use the pain to make you stronger, not in the sense of being unbreakable but being malleable. Trust me, in time your heart will heal…

Stay open. Be vulnerable.

©2013 Susie Lee