Monday Prompt

Conversations With My Heart: What Does It Mean To Be A Whole Person?

A long-overdue dialogue full of surprise and delight

Me: What does it mean to be a whole person?

Heart: It’s about time you asked!!! Sometimes I wonder if all you think I’m good for is the occasional poetic metaphor to drop into your piece de jour.

As your heart, let me remind you, I’m a vital organ. I pump blood, vital oxygen, and nutrients all over your bodacious body. Without me, you’re toast — burnt toast at that.

I know. I know, calm down.

Heart: Why should I calm down? I’m the seat of your passion, after all. And here we are, fresh off of Commedia class, where we got to emote as one of the warm-ups — foolishness, feeling lost!

And love, the hardest one for you, which proves my point. You don’t listen to me often enough! In fact, if it weren’t for Diana’s prompt, would we even be having this conversation?

Me: Hopefully. I may be a sacred fool, but I’m not stupid.

Heart: Yes, but you live in your head. That’s why this class is so healing for you. Once you started moving and vocalizing, you actually felt it. Embodying love is a stretch for you, but since you played it through your Commedia character, Zanni, it “worked.”

Me: Love is hard for me.

Heart: Thanks for acknowledging it. Maybe if we spent more time together, something would shift.

Me: I’d like that. I need to.

Heart: Good. This is a great start. But we’ve gotten a little off track. Let’s get back to wholeness.

What does it mean to be a whole person?

Me: I know! I’ll Google it! Here’s some wisdom from Step Ministries:

Something that is “whole” is complete, with all its interrelated parts working together as designed. God created each of us to be whole, so our life feels lacking when that is not the case. Opposites of “whole” are words such as: incomplete, impaired, and unhealthy. But, when we are not operating as a whole person, the way we feel is best described as “broken.”

Becoming a whole person involves utilizing our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength. These elements are meant to operate in an integrated and holistic manner, working together to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.

But, when one of those areas is impaired, all we may feel is brokenness.

Heart: Hmmm. I like that… especially since it mentions the heart first!!!

Now you’ve read books like HeartMath, so you should know, or let me remind you now, that the heart has an intelligence of its own. All your cells have the innate intelligence they need to keep you thriving. Don’t lose sight of this.

Note the soul comes next.

The mind is all the way in third place. Yet that seems to be where you live and operate from. Most days, you’re sitting at your computer squeezing your thoughts on the ‘page’ till exhaustion sets in or a zoom meeting calls.

But today, you’re in your heart space. My space, so to speak. Does it feel different?

Me: You betcha!

Heart: Please say more!

Me: My body feels alive and tingly. I enjoy the cool breeze coming in the window and how the light reflects the sun dancing on the clouds. It keeps changing, which means the clouds are out in full force today. Love that.

The Commedia class got me back in my body and feeling good. That warm-up I adore wakes up my neck, head, and shoulders.

Heart: (whispering) You could do this every day, you know…

Me: Yes, I know. I should.

Heart: You say that a lot, about lots of good ideas. You’re full of ’em. But when it comes to me or your body — which I’m a part of — you’re short on execution. You know you should — let me not use that word (no shoulding on yourself!) — you know you’d benefit from going to bed earlier, but… I’m still waiting…

Me: I hear you. That warm-up feeds me, not just my body.

It feeds my soul, too.

Heart: Speaking of feeds, you graze out of the snack bag ’cause it’s convenient. You’re so busy writing and zooming, you don’t stop and make yourself a proper hot meal.

Or by the time you do take a break, you’re already full. Being a whole person involves taking care of your whole self. Feeding your mind and your soul and your heart and your body well. In a qualitative sense. More greens. More hot foods, More water.

Me: They’re healthy snacks — nuts, seeds, dried fruit…

Heart: Along with chocolate chips and candied ginger…

Me: Busted! You’re right, of course.

Now let me finish answering about how I feel after Commedia.

Heart: Yes, go ahead.

Me: I’m relaxed. My life feels wide open and expansive. I don’t feel the usual pressure to get busy, churn out copy, attack my to-do list, or cram bunches of stuff into my day.

I feel creative, thoroughly enjoying this conversation without having to control where it’s going. I want it to surprise me; I want you to surprise me. I’m in touch with joy, delight, and my creative prowess.

There’s that delicious afterglow from what I learned when Bruce and I discussed the meaning of Narissa’s text (from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice). And the discoveries I made in playing her as the Commedia archetype Columbina — putting the bowl down with a thud. Playing with a box, shifting it in my arms as if it were three chests — gold and silver — and then almost dropping it as I say lead.

The Wisdom of Not Thinking

Heart: You got to those innovations by playing with them, not by thinking. It happened in the moment ’cause you were fully embodied in your character.

Me: I’m all about improvising. Thinking about it wouldn’t have gotten me there.

Heart: Bingo! That’s living fully embodied! Present to the moment and its offers. You accept them, good improviser that you are. You know to say yes/and in a scene.

Do you know to say yes/and to radiant Offers in your life?

Me: How do I tell an Offer with a capital “O” from other kinds of offers?

Heart: Let me read what Step Ministries says about God…

Our faith — our soul — is the one area which can most lead to a change in all parts of our life. In our quest to become whole, to deal with the brokenness we all face, God is the wild card that can change everything.

Me: God as a wild card?!!

Heart: What does it say to you?

Me: That there is more I can tap into from Source — when I’m stuck or feeling funky or going in circles of overwhelm. I’m holding the God Card in my hand. So look at it, spend time with it. Draw on Her strength and wisdom.

Heart: How will you do that?

Me: More prayer — like I did to launch this conversation.

No wonder this is deep; I’m more open than usual. Besides keeping alive the feeling from Bruce’s class, I’m bringing Spirit into my day consciously as a companion.

Heart: When you live fully embodied, in companion with Spirit, which is how you connect to your soul, you open up to all kinds of creative expressions. Gently, without pressure and stress. Herein lies your wisdom and strength. Herein lies your wholeness.

Remember the expression: playing with a full deck? Note the word play. And the metaphor of the card deck wherein you hold the Wild God Card. Let that be your mantra for wholeness:

Playing with a Full Deck…

Me: Playing…with a…Full Deck. Thank you, Heart.

Heart: You’re welcome, Marilyn. Anytime!

Thank you so much, Diana C., for this week’s precious prompt!

Marilyn Flower political humor and satire to delight socially and spiritually conscious folks. She’s a regular columnist for the prison newsletter, Freedom Anywhere, where she writes about faith and prayer. Five of her short plays have been produced in San Francisco. Clowning and improvisation strengthen her resolve during these crazy times. Stay in touch!