Hearts Open

 (Published in Academy of the Heart and Mind, July, 2024)

We had a guidebook and two backpacks.



Only a destination

No reservations


No smartphone

We captured each moment with our eyes wide open.

Heart open

We snapped an ideal picture with a digital camera

dug out from a pocket in our pack.



We drank coffee black.

Bought a whole, roasted chicken in the market

and brought it home to our apartment for lunch

with a bottle of Cabarnet Sauvignon.

We napped in the afternoon and dressed to go out on the town at night.



We walked cobblestone streets.

Marveled at everything

Tried to converse and purchase goods in a foreign language.

Ate by candlelight

Walked on together exploring

Traveling as if we were floating

Invincible

We didn’t plan for the week or even tomorrow.

We lived in the now and were open to life’s unexpected,

beautiful gifts

Even sorrowful lessons.

We accepted new adventures

Big or small

It didn’t matter.

We kept our hearts open.