Heart-On Engagement

I love these two passages from Mark Nepo, American poet and philosopher, from his book Facing the Lion, Being the Lion: Finding Inner Courage Where it Lives.

“…head-on engagement and heart-on engagement with the mysteries of life hone us to what is essential. It is our courageous engagement that wears away whatever is extraneous.”

“…a life well lived can be understood as one that risks not being trapped or governed by fears, one that follows the pulse of what matters as it presents itself. This is not to say that we will ever be free of fear, but that, in spite of our fear, we can be drawn by what matters down the unplanned path of time, where we are often called to choose what is actually there over what we thought we’d find.”

Heart-on has always been more compelling to me. It requires an honesty, and friends to help mature us along the way, doesn’t it.