Last week I had an encounter with someone in love and it made me think about the importance of keeping your heart open. I was waiting in the lobby at my dentist's office when all of a sudden the dental assistant came out to greet me with a big smile on her face. She then proclaimed, "You look beautiful!" I wasn't sure what to think by her comment. While this particular dental assistant had always been friendly, she had never been so expressive and open. I wondered if the sun being out had something to do with it. Whenever the sun comes out in Seattle (an event to celebrate), I have noticed people are more open and willing to connect with others.

When I sat down the dental assistant asked how my summer was going and I then asked her the same question. She paused and then said with a big smile on her face, "Well....." In that instant I saw the infamous, "life is absolutely amazing" glow and I knew the dental assistant was in love. She was head-over-heels in love and it made my soul smile. We then talked a bit about the new relationship she was in and the dental assistant told me she had been with the guy for about four months. It was only a few days ago however that she opened her heart to this lucky guy. I then learned her heart had been closed because she had been hurt in the past. I could definitely relate and chances are most of you reading this blog can relate as well. If you have ever opened your heart to someone only to be rejected or misled, your heart has probably felt a considerable amount of pain. When we have been emotionally wounded, our natural inclination is to form a brick wall around our heart so we are never hurt again. The only problem is that we are only causing ourselves more harm because as human beings we need to connect with others in order to fully thrive. The only way to truly connect with others is by keeping our hearts open.

Closing our hearts may seem like the safe thing to do but it will only lead to feelings of isolation, depression, and we may eventually suffer from illness. Unresolved emotional issues that are not dealt with may manifest as disease in the body. The heart is meant to be open and despite what our egos may tell us, the heart will recover from past hurts.

By removing the body armor from our hearts, we have the opportunity to truly connect with others. Instead of just experiencing the euphoric feeling of being newly in love only occassionally, as in the case of the dental assistant, we can experience this "love high" on a regular basis. Every single day we have the opportunity to connect with loved ones, friends, strangers, and even nature. Keeping our hearts open to the love all around us can be transformational.

Colleen Canney is a Career, Life, and Wellness Coach based in Seattle, WA. For more information on Colleen, please visit her website at www.colleencanney.com. If you are interested in scheduling a FREE consultation, please contact Colleen at colleencanney@live.com