I received this from an online friend today.

"The heart is like a flower - unless it is open it cannot release its fragrance into the world. The fragrance of the heart is made up of the qualities and virtues of our spirit. Most of us have learned how to keep our heart closed in a world that would trample all over us if we let it. Being open hearted today seems to require tremendous courage. It is a courage which comes only when we realise that no one can hurt us, no matter what they say or do. They may hurt our body, but if we have realised we are spirit, nothing outside can touch us, if we so decide. Little by little, practice opening your heart to those you think have hurt you. Realise it wasn't them that hurt you, it was yourself. And it taught you not to trust and you closed your heart. "

And it is very relevant to what I, myself am going through right now. And also very true, this is something I know I have done in certain ways in my life. When we don't let the flower of our heart blossom, our lives feel like a barren garden because its beauty is absent when we close ourselves off the to world.

-Yoda