How Do You Mend a Broken Heart? -BFF 199

     I have often wondered how to mend a broken heart.  There are no band aid fixes.  No one can kiss and make it better.  It is devastating, overwhelming, and something that has no quick fix or cure.  Tears will fall and depression will set in.  It is a natural progression.  It is as painful mentally as it is physically.  Wallowing in self pity can be expected.  Amazing as it seems, the world doesn’t stop turning just because your heart has been shattered.  The sun continues to rise and set, and everyone continues to go about their own lives as you struggle to pick up the pieces of yours.

      My own heart has been broken many times in the past.  The only thing that has ever helped is the passage of time, staying busy, and in the end hardening my heart to future attacks.  You swear to yourself that next time it won’t be as devastating.  You harden your heart and refuse stubbornly to let anyone get that close again.  You distance yourself as a defense mechanism.  I don’t believe a heart ever totally heals. The fracture remains and with it comes knowledge and the walls go up in self defense.  You love again, but it is never as uninhibited as it was the time before.   It takes even longer for someone new to convince a person to love again.  Cynicism steps in.

       Some people will rush out to replace what was lost in a desperate attempt to soothe their suffering.  Some will drown their sorrows and look for comfort in a bottle.  Still others will isolate themselves to lick their wounds.  Some will busy themselves with their work leaving little or no time for anything else.  Others will put on a brave face and continue on much as they always have even though they are screaming on the inside.  They will insist to everyone they are just fine, thank you very much.  Some folks will even rush right out and find a replacement on the rebound.  Doing this never solves anything.

     
      In essence, a broken heart needs time to heal.  The mind needs time to process and grieve the loss.   You will always have the scars, but the pain will go away and you will learn to love and trust again until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.