There are moments that never come again. They stay with you forever. Dates that can never be forgotten and memories that can never be erased. They flood back into the one place that they will remain — in your heart. Little, insignificant tokens are tossed around like coins into a fountain and then you are suddenly back to a place you truly never left. It stained you so deep that hiding it was near to impossible, but you always knew it was there. It was a constant reminder of the road you took, the people you met along the way, and the choices you made to get you to where you are now. When our hearts speak to us, it can be difficult to listen. But even more difficult is to follow it. To really put everything else aside and say, “I MUST do this.” You don’t have to know why, but you just do. My heart won’t settle until I have done what it has told me to do and although there have been times when I was afraid. I never ran. I wanted to. But my heart wouldn’t let go. Not completely. What does your heart tell you? Do you wish things were different but never do anything to change them? Maybe you don’t know what to do so you never begin. Too many times, I think everyone thinks no one thinks like they do or that no one ever feels like they do. But I am here to tell you that you would be wrong. One day, someone told me, “No one talks like you do.” My reply was quite simple, “But they think like I do and feel like I do.” People just don’t want to admit it. They are afraid someone will laugh at them or that they will be ridiculed. Why? Because it is difficult to be vulnerable and show our emotions. I know…I hid them for about 40 years. But if we really want to be genuine, we must be real. We must allow those feelings and thoughts come to the surface…to stress what is most important to us and what we truly treasure. Ever followed your heart? Maybe it led you down a road you thought would look different from how it does when you finally get there…or maybe it takes you where you were always meant to go…maybe you just didn’t know it. Following your heart can be scary but I also know that living with the regret of NOT following your heart is worse. A missed opportunity will never fill the hole left behind when you don’t head the voice of your own heart and you don’t act on it. I can live with myself when I say things that my heart feels. Some time later, I will look back on it and wonder if I should have shared those words or not. But more often than that, I recall the reasons why I felt like I needed to say them to begin with and then I let the worry, the fear, and the awkwardness go. If you can’t live with regrets or the never-ending “what if” questions that will come along in your life, let me suggest one thing…listen and follow your heart. Understand that we ALL are in this together…and that makes us forever connected. And if you are ever unsure, let your heart be your “Compass” by Lady Antebellum
Michelle A. Homme 2014 ©
