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My friend Julie Smith wrote, a propos of something else, to say:

“my friend Kevin talks about making his heart so open and so wide that if you splashed a can of paint there would be no place for it to land”

Heart like the sky, open and blue and utterly unpaintable.

And then along comes this Cheri Huber quote from the infrequently updated Awakeheart which reads:

“So often we look out at the condition of the world with a sense of hopelessness. There is so much to be done, so much that is “wrong” �what can one person do? A lot. One person can do a great deal. First we can be kind to ourselves. One person can be kind to another. At every opportunity, one person can make a decision toward loving kindness and compassion and away from violence. Two pairs of running shoes, one has leather, one doesn’t. Can you choose the non-leather? This meal could you not have meat? Not every meal�this meal. Could you use the product without mink oil? Could you brake for a squirrel? Could you let that person in to the traffic ahead of you? Could you help an old person with something heavy? Could you…? Hundreds of opportunities every day. Could you just let yourself open your heart to a few? Not all. Just a few. And could you let yourself feel good about your effort? If so, you’ve already improved the entire universe. All that’s necessary is one small step at a time. In each moment we can. Choosing one less act of violence.

Can we open our hearts that big? Moment by moment, line by line, we can cleave open life and lay bare kindness and respect.