Hello, Welcome. I’m Renée Valentina and this is Musing Interruptus. Listen to Musing Interruptus if you like stories and learning idiomatic phrases in different contexts. You can read along; just click on continue reading in the description to open a Google Doc with the transcription of this episode. The idiomatic expressions are in italics. Try to get the meaning from the context and then look them up to see if you were right. If you like it, subscribe, follow, and share, but more importantly, continue the conversation. Drop a comment with your answers to today’s questions! I love hearing from you!

Today, on what it takes to have a heart-to-heart.

It sounds like two hearts talking to each other, doesn’t it? If it weren’t a metaphor, that kind of invitation would seem frightening because of the implications.

When we get through this, you’ll probably come to realize that that image is child’s play. The reality behind this type of conversation is not for the faint of heart. This is hardcore. Hero stuff. The kind of activity that requires you take a deep breath before you start. Wax on wax off.

If someone is inviting you to have a sit-down to talk, and mentions heart-to-heart, you’d better believe that they are looking for the most punk version of yourself, and they want the opportunity to be honest with you as well. Be prepared if you accept.

That’s someone looking for the real thing. Not everyone can offer that, and not all the time, and definitely, not to just anyone.

The utopia of having everyone be as honest as possible might be appealing to some, but to others, it is a nightmare, especially if the person on the other side lacks the awareness and sensitivity to identify what messages are necessary and which are unnecessary and hurtful. I think these people tend to get off on reactions and shield themselves behind the overused I’m just saying it like it is. I’m guessing the antidote is empathy, pertinence, consent, and context.

You know, underneath clothing, we are all naked; we don’t need to see all of each other all the time. But there is a valid point in there, somewhere. Remembering we’re all just naked can go a long way to being gentler, keeping an appropriate distance, unless invited to shorten the distance. Continue reading