There’s a beautiful excerpt from the book How to Love by Thich Nhat Hanh that has stayed with me. He writes:
“If you pour a handful of salt into a cup of water, the water becomes undrinkable. But if you pour the salt into a river, people can continue to draw the water to cook, wash, and drink. The river is immense, and it has the capacity to receive, embrace, and transform.”
Our hearts are just like this.
When our hearts are small, like that cup, even a little suffering, anger, or someone else’s shortcomings can overwhelm us. We can’t bear it and we demand that others change so we can feel at peace.
But when our hearts grow, when they become like a river, we discover a new kind of strength. The same problems and frustrations no longer poison our spirit. We can receive them, embrace them, and transform them with understanding and compassion.
So the question becomes:
How do we help our hearts grow?
We help our hearts grow by practicing acceptance, of ourselves and of others. By recognizing that everyone we meet is carrying their own pain, their own stories, their own lessons to learn.
We grow by letting go of the need to control and judge, and instead learning to see people as they are, right now, imperfect and human. We grow when we make space inside ourselves, like a river, for all of life, the joys and the sorrows, to flow through without getting stuck.
It isn’t always easy. But every time we choose compassion over judgment, every time we open instead of closing, our hearts expand a little more.
May we all cultivate hearts like rivers, wide enough to carry the salt of the world without losing our sweetness. 💙
#HeartLikeARiver #ThichNhatHanh #HowToLove #Compassion #Mindfulness #SelfGrowth #SpiritualPractice #HealingJourney #Acceptance #OpenHeart
Don’t forget to check out my other blog Astrological Odyssey if you are curious or in love with the celestial wonders of the world! 💕
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