The Courage to Stay Open

Embracing Openheartedness and Kindness in times of polarization and diviseness

Sunrise over Arizona Photo by Jay Siegmann

There’s a moment, just before dawn, when the world is suspended between darkness and light. The sky holds its breath, and for a brief instant, everything is possible.

What if your heart was the same?

What if it was never truly closed, only waiting for you to notice the quiet spaces where it still whispers, still beats, still reaches?

In a life shaped by trauma, it is easy to believe that survival depends on fortresses. I have known those walls well—built them stone by stone, reinforced them with silence, guarded them with the fierce conviction that nothing would break through again.

And walls keep things out as much as they keep things in.

And love, connection, and even kindness do not force their way in; they wait at the threshold until I choose to open the door.

Today’s intention is openheartedness, and today’s affirmation is I am the kindness I seek. These are not passive states but invitations—pathways to step through, to explore, to reclaim. They remind me that being open does not mean being unguarded; it means knowing the difference between protection and constriction. It means honoring the rhythms of my own tenderness, trusting that kindness is not something I need to chase but something I can embody.

LETTERS FROM LOVE — With Special Guest Maggie Smith!

Dear Love, what would you have me know about keeping my heart open?

Hi Sweetie,

Keeping your heart open is not about standing defenseless in the wind, waiting to be worn down by the storm. It is about knowing where the warmth resides within you and letting it radiate outward. It is about recognizing the doors that have been sealed by old pain, by echoes of voices that told you love required condition after condition—and choosing, in your own time, which ones to unlock.

Your heart, love, is not a fragile thing. It is the canyon itself—deep, carved by time, shaped by every joy and sorrow that has passed through. The walls hold the record of all you have endured, and yet they do not crumble. They stand, they endure, they catch the light at just the right angle, turning what once felt like a scar into something golden.

An open heart is not one without boundaries; it is one that knows where its edges meet the sky. It is a heart that understands its own rhythms, the way it contracts and expands like breath, like tide, like the shifting light over canyon walls at dawn.

You do not keep your heart open by force, nor by obligation. You keep it open by trust—first in yourself, in the wisdom of your own depths. You listen when your heart whispers, when it cautions, when it reaches for something soft, something safe. And you honor it.

There is no weakness in protecting what is tender. There is no failure in stepping back when the weight of the world presses too hard. Your heart has weathered tempests. It has known silence, exile, the ache of carrying too much. And still, it beats with the pulse of life, with the possibility of warmth, with the quiet knowing that love—real love—does not ask you to abandon yourself.

So, Sweetie, if you ever wonder how to keep your heart open, remember this: You already are. Every time you choose honesty over silence, connection over retreat, tenderness over fear, you are living with an open heart. Every time you stand in the canyon of your own becoming and let the light in, you are love in motion.

With deep tenderness,
Love

Intention: Openheartedness

Definition

Openheartedness is the willingness to meet the world with curiosity rather than certainty, with presence rather than preconception. It is not about naive vulnerability but about remaining permeable to the complexity of existence—holding space for joy and sorrow, understanding that the heart is not a vessel to be emptied but a horizon to be expanded. It is the quiet courage to allow life to move through you without bracing against it.

In Buddhist thought, openheartedness aligns closely with the concept of Maitrī (Metta)—loving-kindness. Metta is not passive; it is an active practice of unconditional goodwill, a way of relating to the world with warmth while maintaining discernment. The Metta Sutta speaks of cultivating a heart that is "free from ill will" and "as boundless as the great ocean," radiating kindness without attachment. Openheartedness, in this light, is a practice of expansive, fearless love that does not demand reciprocation.

Inspiration to Achieve the Intention

One unexpected way to cultivate openheartedness is through intentional disorientation—purposefully stepping into unfamiliar spaces, conversations, or perspectives. When we remove the scaffolding of routine and certainty, the heart is invited to engage without the armor of expectation. This could mean traveling alone to a place where you do not speak the language, reading literature from a worldview that unsettles your own, or simply sitting in stillness with a question you cannot answer. The heart expands in the presence of mystery.

Journaling Prompt

Where in my life am I mistaking protection for constriction?
Hint: Look at the moments when you feel emotionally withdrawn or defensive—what are you protecting? Is it possible that what you guard so carefully is actually asking to breathe?

Affirmation: I Am the Kindness I Seek

I embody the kindness I long for. With each gentle breath, I create space within myself, softening old judgments into understanding. Kindness is not outside of me—I am its living expression.

In this moment, I welcome empathy and warmth to take root. My wholeness is not defined by what I give but by how truthfully I honor my own gentleness, even in life’s turbulence. Choosing compassion is choosing myself.

I trust in kindness as a rhythm—blooming, fading, returning. I move with it, not against it. I stand in presence, offering companionship to my journey, loyal to the essence of who I am.

Key Point

At its core, this affirmation is an invitation to recognize that kindness is not something to chase or prove, but something to embody and nurture from within. It shifts the focus from external validation to inner alignment, reminding us that self-compassion is both a practice and a state of being.

Kindness is not a destination, but a rhythm we cultivate—one that begins within and extends outward, shaping how we meet ourselves and the world.

Journaling Prompts

• Where in my life do I treat myself with less kindness than I extend to others?
  Hint: Look for moments where your inner dialogue is harsher than what you'd say to a friend. Consider whether your expectations for yourself are different from what you expect from those around you.

• If kindness were a conversation between my past, present, and future self, what would they need to hear from each other?
  Hint: Imagine what your past self longed to receive, what your present self needs most, and what your future self hopes you will carry forward. Notice the through-line of care that connects them.

What If Kindness Is Already Here?

The shift happens when we stop searching outside ourselves for the kindness we seek and realize: it has always been within. We are not separate from it. Just as the canyon holds both shadow and light, our own hearts hold both the pain of the past and the capacity for healing. Openheartedness is not about erasing our wounds but about seeing them as part of the landscape, trusting that they, too, can catch the light.

If we allow kindness to begin here—with ourselves—it becomes something we do not need to chase. It is something we become.

So, as you move through today, ask yourself: What if the kindness you’ve been seeking has been with you all along? What if, instead of striving to find it, you simply chose to recognize it?

Thank you for walking this path alongside me.

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Hi There! I am Monty, to my friends and Sir Montgomery in formal situations. Very glad to make your acquaintance. Will you become part of Jay’s and me pride? I’d really love that, then you can call me Monty.