Bruised Places

From the Albano-Waite Tarot, the Three of Swords; from the Rumi Cards, 'Fall Into:'

We all have tender or bruised places on our heart, places that when jabbed send us into a tailspin of deep grief or despair. The yellow on this card looks washed out compared to the bright yellow of the Fool's card drawn yesterday. Awareness of anything other than our pain gets dimmed; the rational side of the intellect is pushed aside. We may have a choice where to place our attention, but our pain will insist that we keep it there. The Rumi quote 'Fall into' suggests that we realize that human love is imperfect and fluctuating, no matter how strong it might be. Yet we treat it like a breeze we've opened our door to, thinking it will stay inside with us forever without changing. The poet Aeschylus wrote, "There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief. Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times." We can't go back, we can only move forward, even if that movement is excruciatingly slow.