The tender hearts
There are rare jewels in the crown of humanity that we desperately need more of in the world. There are some who walk among us who operate on a different sort of plane. The peculiar. Fantastical beasts that we hear tales of and dream of catching glimpses of — the unicorns.
They are the tender-hearted.
They exist in an upside-down kingdom. Sensitivity is their armor. Exposure is their strength. Softness is not weakness. Gentleness makes them mighty.
These souls are secret weapons — forces to be reckoned with. The brutality of the world is after them ferociously, to harden them against their calling. These treasures have targets on their backs from the moment they enter the world. But they are not moved, even by the most heinous acts. There is iron in their makeup. Assaults that come to challenge their stance are faced head on. They are fierce and bold and ready to defend the noble, the meek, the defenseless, the forgotten — the sacred. Always the sacred.
They are misunderstood by the shallow and accused by the hardened. They are mocked by the proud and despised by the vain.
If you meet one of these, cherish them. Befriend them. You’ve spotted a rainbow — a pleasant gift, a kind response to the storm.
It takes an honorable heart to recognize another. And these tender-hearts are in need of honorable friends.
Love them. They so often pour out and receive little in return. They care deeply and give relentlessly — this is their way, this is their essence. And though they will rarely let their needs be known, they thrive on affection.
They are a deep well, and as much as they have poured out they have that much more room to receive. If you are one of these, no doubt you have experienced rejection, slander, and all manner of darkness that has surely come to dissuade you from existing to the full extent of your calling. Because your heart IS your calling. Your ability to love, to see, to approach and connect — well this is why we exist in the first place.
And the rest of us need you. Be encouraged. If you are one of these diamonds in the rough, a lily among thorns — we are most grateful for You.
“Love and goodness and the world’s beauty and humanity are the reasons we have hope. Yet no matter how much we recycle, believe in our Priuses, and abide by our local laws, we see that our beauty is being destroyed, crushed by greed and cruel stupidity. And we also see love and tender hearts carry the day.” — Anne Lamott