Thursday, March 27, 2008

The symbolic heart

For some 18 years I have crossed the wooden planks of the Franklin Street bridge that span the Chicago River at the Merchandise Mart. Those planks are well worn and like any wood, each is unique.

One has a heart pressed into it - naturally occurring from a knot – that I have watched over time and it made me think about how symbolic that naturally-formed-once-was-a-knot heart is of our true hearts.....

I have seen it frozen - hard and filled with ice; crusty and white from the salt they use to make the bridge walkable in the winter; water-logged to the point that it is a deep dark brown and soggy; warmed from being kissed by the summer sun - showing a light airy tone; and finally this morning – misshapen – the bottom pointy part elongated – no longer perfectly formed after these many years of wear and tear.

It is as simple as that – a wooden representation of what happens to our own emotional hearts if not properly cared for.

I love that little naturally formed heart – it is so simple, yet speaks a lot.

knot

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