From a young age we’re told to follow it. It’s the lonely hunter. We’re not supposed to go breaking it.
And hopefully, you’ve heard the most valuable advice of all: We need to “guard it, for it is the wellspring of life.”
So, what’s a woman to do about the squishy organ that for some odd reason reminds me of a bagpipe?
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” ― C.S. Lewis
“The heart was made to be broken.” ― Oscar Wilde
“If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.” ― Emily Dickinson
“I believe a strong woman may be stronger than a man, particularly if she happens to have love in her heart. I guess a loving woman is indestructible.” ― John Steinbeck, East of Eden:
Hear that, women? Indestructible. I thought I’d give you six more tips to help you keep your heart indestructible.
6 tips to help heart health:
Fish. Eat it.
Take the stairs.
Learn your fats & oils. (Limit saturated fats, trans fat & salt from your diet). This article explains more.
Manage stress (breathe)
Quit Smoking
Drink tea & laugh (read this educational article for more).
Let’s get out there and make music with our bagpipe organs. After all, soon it will be…well, spring.
Fish. Eat it.
Take the stairs.
Learn your fats & oils. (Limit saturated fats, trans fat & salt from your diet). This article explains more.
Manage stress (breathe)
Quit Smoking
Drink tea & laugh (read this educational article for more).
Let’s get out there and make music with our bagpipe organs. After all, soon it will be…well, spring.
“For here’s what I’m going to do…I’ll pour water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.” ~ Ezekiel 36:25-27 (Message)
*photo by flickr
**Happy Valentine’s Day!
**Happy Valentine’s Day!
***All "I"s on a dear soul on my FB writer page in a bit.
Just in time for Valentine's Day! That's a great quote from East of Eden.
ReplyDeleteLOL! I never thought of the heart as shaped like a bagpipe, but I totally see it. Now that image is stuck with me for good. :) I love that CS Lewis quote - awesome and so very true. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Wendy! Thanks for this little piece of inspiration! :)
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love that C.S. Lewis quote. It's such a good reminder that in order to love, we have to open up to people. We must take risks, because loving itself is a risk.
ReplyDeleteLove your practical tips. Wish I liked fish, but I can't stand the taste, so it's all about the omega-3 vitamins for me!
Love those quotes! Happy Valentine's Day to you too, chica!
ReplyDeleteGreat quotes! Loved them and the heart as a bagpipe. :)
ReplyDeleteI've always loved that verse in Ezekiel, but I love it even more now having read it in the message. Great quotes, too.
ReplyDeleteBut, um, the only way I seem to be able to eat fish is all battered and fried. My taste buds need a talking to...
When it comes to perception and wordsmithing, you can't beat God and C.S. Lewis. :)
ReplyDeleteLaughter is so good for heart health.
ReplyDeleteI love the C S Lewis quote, thanks for sharing it.
What a "hearty" pre-valentine's post!
ReplyDeleteWill check out the FB page now!
Happy Valentines and all such great advice on staying healthy. I struggle with the fish one though. I'll need to stickup on Omega 3's.
ReplyDeleteYou crack me up. :) Love the image of the heart as a bagpipe. And that C.S Lewis quote is one of my favorites!
ReplyDeleteA bagpipe? LOL!
ReplyDeleteAnd you know I love your heart-healthy tips. I just studied the nutrition chapter of my fitness instructor book. Fascinating stuff.
Indeed, spring will be here before we know it. Thanks so much for your encouragement and for making me smile. :)
ReplyDeleteWendy, I *heart* you! I hope you have a very happy Valentine's Day.
ReplyDeleteJulie, It struck me. Thought it would be a fun add for today.
ReplyDeleteDonna, I know, my mind comes up with some odd connections sometimes. Someone should have followed Lewis around with a pen & paper.
Heidi, Thanks. Thought it was a fun touch before V-day. Thanks for the award today too. Means a lot.
Lindsay, I'm lucky salmon rocks my world. Throw a little brown sugar and butter on it (Pacific Northwest style)...oh yeah! And yep, love takes risks.
Katie, Back atcha! You know I love you.
Jessica, It's how we make music, you know? ;)
Melissa, You show your taste buds who's boss. ;) And yep, love that Message version of that verse.
Erica, Agreed.
Loree, I adore laughing. I laugh at myself all the time. Only to remain healthy...all for health's sake. :D
Jennifer, Ba dum dum. Hope you felt encouraged today lady!
Patti, Salmon. I'm tellin' ya, it's the way to go. Brown sugar it...yum!
Melanie, I seem to gather something new from that C.S. quote every time I read it.
Sarah, I love what an advocate you are for taking care of yourself. That's huge for women to understand. I know I struggle with it, but when I do take the time to do so it influences so much about my day.
Karen, Ah...spring. Let's say it together. Spring. Spring. Spring. Can't come soon enough.
Keli, I heart you too. You encourage me more than you know.
Got a crown today folks. As much as I'd love to say it was the queenly kind my kids were rooting for, it was not. Is it weird I almost fell asleep in the dentist chair? I blame it on my husband's new hobby--snoring. :D
Hope you all feel loved today and every day into your future. Because you are...more than you know.
~ Wendy
I heart you ;)
ReplyDeleteLOL - now I just read Kelli's post! :) hee, hee ... great minds ...
ReplyDeleteI love your mind and its quirky ways! My dad is a bagpiper, so the bagpipe is dear to me in its very loud familiarity.
ReplyDeleteYou know, you have to fill up a bagpipe before anything can come out of it. It's like no other instrument I know in that strange steady stream of air the player has to provide, by blowing air in but then pressing his bag to send the air through the pipes. You're going to have me thinking of bagpipe devotionals all night.