I've been accused of being worst things, but somehow, being labelled a bleeding heart really irks me (almost) the most. There is another word that is worse, and I'll get up the courage to tell you why another day. "You are a bleeding heart" means you care disproportionally, you have no (or faulty) critical thinking skills, you are gullible. I care fiercely about what I care about...but scared of the label I tend to care in a cold hearted way (if there is such a thing), reassuring others all the way that I'm no fool---that I care with safely constructed boundaries. I care all too aware that a staunched bleeding heart is seen as more noble. A healed up, scabbed over heart is seen as somehow more caring, but is that true? What do you think?
I won't visit you this month. You won't call. I will raid your garden and you won't get any of the vegetables. I will make plans without telling you about them. We'll go to the store and not buy you one single thing. Whole books will be read and I will not tell you which ones. I will watch movies and not inform you. The nasturiums will ripen. Last month was different. I changed my schedule and took time off work to be with you. I dropped all kinds of plans for us to be together. You sent me messages, I received them. I picked up food that I thought you would like at the store and sent you pictures of every beautiful thing I saw. I sang with you. We watched the Great Canadian Baking Show. You chose the recipe for the garlic scape pesto and gave me instructions for making the gooseberry jam. I am in August without you. You are in July.
I love the notion of a healed up, scabbed over heart, maybe tougher than the average bear but also stronger and more capable of the longer stronger deeper loves? aye?
ReplyDeletebleeding heart seems to connotate (to me) someone who is swept away by the emotions, but not able to 'do' anything with them, like the weeping for orphans in africa while walking By the orphans next door type.... not sure thats true, but it is a connotation i have... hmmm. . .