“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

I noticed this heart in the shadows of the bare red maple in my back yard yesterday.  Can you see it?

As with most things, I could see it more clearly from away than from right on top of it.  It’s generally easier to see patterns and designs from above, from afar.  I spotted this from the house, from a window that had some elevation.

My life would be easier if I had that elevated view, too, I think.  I could see the pattern of events, and if, as in this case, they formed a heart, I’d know my path.  Because as the quote from The Little Prince says, the heart sees most rightly, most clearly.  As in the sage advice, “Follow your heart.”

Lately my heart has told me what not to do more than what to do.

Maybe if I can get a more elevated view, I’ll know what my path is.

I look at the almost five years since I quit teaching, and I see a lot of doors that have closed.  I’ve tried different avenues, different projects, and so far nothing has been right.  If I had fewer interests, it might be easier to find a pattern, a heart among the shadows.

Or maybe it’s right there, and I just can’t see it yet.

So I’ll keep looking.

At trees, at shadows, at the sky, at my friends, at my activities, at my reading, and at what makes me happy. Truly happy.

And as I keep looking, just maybe that heart design will become clear.  I know it’s there.

I just have to see it.