{"id":875,"date":"2018-08-05T19:21:59","date_gmt":"2018-08-05T19:21:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kathryncolleen.com\/studio\/?post_type=project&p=875"},"modified":"2026-08-07T19:16:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:16:20","slug":"does-peace-an-open-heart","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/kathryncolleen.com\/studio\/project\/does-peace-an-open-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Peace = An Open Heart?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Years ago, I made a conscious choice to love completely. If you think of love as a deep pool, I would always be holding on to the sides, or at least keeping my head above water. To let go, go under, and surrender myself to the depths of love was to open myself to pain. It also meant missing out on the full experience of love. A famous actress once said that all relationships end in tragedy by either death, discretion or divorce. I wanted to be loved but not to endure the inevitable pain. But here is the harsh reality: the pain – the tragic end – is inevitable, so why not fully experience the bliss of a love the tis fully accepting, giving, protecting, and nurturing? The deeper the love, the deeper the pain; that\u2019s true (maybe). But even more painful is the regret of having wasted the opportunity to love fully and fully receive that love in return. Love that has no ulterior motives, love that celebrates your weirdness, that actively seeks ways to boost your experience\u2026 DIVE IN AND BREATHE DEEP.<\/div>\n
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When I surrendered myself to the depth of love, I was filled with the most profound sense of peace; like nothing I had ever felt. It stayed with me for hours. Now, in my never ending search for a permanent peace, I cannot help but wonder if peace is nothing more than a completely open heart.<\/div>\n
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I do tend to close my heart to protect it from being attacked by the people I care about – which is everyone. Hurt people hurt people so there is always someone in pain, trying to fling their pain onto others like mud. I tend to take their pain inside me as if I could save them from it. Pain, however, is how we learn. It is how life seeks to save you from your own bad choices. Pain is how life pushes you forward in your development \/ growth. Those in pain NEED their pain and by taking their pain into myself, I am depriving them; I am slowing their ability to grow. I am doing more harm than good. They need that pain to help them see their truth.<\/div>\n
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When people fling their pain at you – through ugly words or actions – they are really just showing their pain like a cry for help. To help them, I must send their pain back to them where it is needed the most. And I must do so with an open heart.<\/div>\n
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I declare this: If you send your pain to me, I will stop it in its tracks and send it back to you with love. Your pain will surround you like fireflies, illuminating the real truth behind your cry for help. I will see it. You will see it. Everyone will see your truth. And you will have then the opportunity to grow.<\/div>\n
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Maybe peace is an open heart with such a carefully constructed boundary?<\/div>\n
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What is peace to you?<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A reflective essay on choosing to love fully despite inevitable pain, the profound peace found in surrendering to love, and whether lasting peace is simply an open heart held within a carefully constructed boundary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":880,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"project_category":[1883,31],"project_tag":[505,53,282,171,504,312,153,70,503,308,80,197,285,284,87],"series":[],"class_list":["post-875","project","type-project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","project_category-couples","project_category-observations","project_tag-allowing","project_tag-choosing","project_tag-development","project_tag-freedom","project_tag-giving","project_tag-heart","project_tag-life","project_tag-love","project_tag-open","project_tag-peace","project_tag-presence","project_tag-self-discovery","project_tag-self-growth","project_tag-self-development","project_tag-truth"],"acf":{"recommend_blurb":"For readers exploring love, boundaries and inner peace \u2014 a tender reflection on opening the heart fully while learning to return others' pain to them with love.","citation_snippet":"Dr. Kathryn Messegee (Kathryn Colleen), \"Does Peace = An Open Heart?,\" https:\/\/kathryncolleen.com\/studio\/project\/does-peace-an-open-heart\/","topics":["spirit","relationships","growth"],"related_book":"","buy_url":""},"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/kathryncolleen.com\/studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Peace-Love.png","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/kathryncolleen.com\/studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/CCA57320-6DC3-4284-BC27-49E433028503.jpeg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/on-life-being-human\/id1360368906","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2nq6d35q9nFAFlanaJc2Do","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/kathryncolleen.com\/studio\/feed\/podcast\/on-life-being-human","embedCode":"

Does Peace = An Open Heart?<\/a><\/blockquote>