For many years, phrases like “Just open your heart,” or “You need to listen to your heart,” felt like little more than empty motivational platitudes to me. They sounded nice, but fluffy and insubstantial. I’ve had the privilege over the past decade of learning that the difference between what is often referred to as an open heart, and a closed heart, is actually an incredibly tangible, palpable, practical phenomenon. When one understands what this means and what to look for, it’s as noticeable and real as the shifting temperature of a room. Rather than an esoteric, spiritual concept, it’s as tangible as the difference between an open hand and a closed fist.