You've Gotta Have Heart

You've gotta have heart,
Miles and miles of heart.
When the odds are saying you'll never win
That's when the grin should start,
First you've gotta have heart.
( 1950's song lyrics)

Let's get to the heart of the matter: In all things you do in life, you've gotta have heart, and having a big heart is definitely the coolest way to experience creation. And in relation to creation, you will excel if you put your heart into every single thing you do. But be careful of becoming so sensitive that you wind up wearing your heart on your sleeve. Also remember that a kind-hearted person does not break someone else's heart. Speaking of love, be ever true because your cheatin' heart will tell on you. Most important of all, practice compassion so your heart doesn't become like a stone. I Love NY. How many more heart-focused expressions can you think of?

The nuances and usage of the word 'heart' are but one aspect of the total picture. The graphic depiction of the heart is one of humankind's most evocative symbols. Rising provocatively in opposite directions from a deep cavern in its upper mid-point, it smoothly curves into two, sensuously-rounded upper lobes, then recklessly plunges inward and downward until climaxing in an emotionally satisfying lobular bottom. The heart graphic is full of so much positive symbolism it never fails to make us smile on some level of awareness. Sex, romance, courage, strength, intimacy…. The heart symbol communicates the magical power of the individual person or entity to rise above the odds and shine. The symbol is almost never trite, no matter how it is used. It's not surprising why the heart graphic is employed by the advertising industry with such frequency.

With its life-sustaining power, the heart has been veiled in a cloak of metaphysical mystery throughout the ages. The heart was first depicted as a small, red shape that was drawn on the wall of a cave in Spain more than 12,000 years ago. Shamans of various cultures would pluck the still beating hearts from animals (and others) and use it in magic, rituals and medicine. Modern technology has given a new slant to much of the mystery, but there remains an atmosphere of reverence, fascination and curiosity when talking about the heart. It is the symbol we use to describe that whole range of human experience for which there are no other words. But there are a lot of really neat "gee-whiz" things about the physiological heart, too.

The Muscle is a miracle. From the moment it begins beating until the moment it stops, the human heart works tirelessly. It beats 100,000 times a day; that's 35 million times a year. In an average lifetime, the heart beats more than two and a half billion times, without ever pausing to rest. The heart pumps about 1 million barrels of blood during an average lifetime -- that's enough to fill more than 3 super tankers.