There is something that means the world to you, someone you care for so deeply, some factor in your life that causes your heart to well up with enormous emotion. You try to hide the passion you feel and the strength of this powerful affinity. You don't like others to see how potentially vulnerable it makes you. You even kid yourself about the full extent of what you feel. Yet it is nothing to be ashamed of. Nor need it ever be a problem. It is time to celebrate your closest connection and don't be afraid. 'Every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven.' So goes the old song. The idea is a familiar one. There's no such thing as a cloud without a silver lining. All our problems are just blessings in disguise. So go the platitudes. But, like all great cliches, they have their roots in undeniable truths. In your emotional life now, it is particularly important to trust what inspires you, even if currently this seems more like the source of a problem than a source of joy. Optimism is not escapism.
If you want to lose weight, should you eat less or more? If you want to reduce stress, should you set a greater number of targets or a smaller one? If you want to feel less pressured, should you strive for higher standards or accept lower ones? Feel free to take on as much responsibility as you want. You are entitled to be ambitious and adventurous. But no matter how intense life becomes, don't imagine that the way to lead an easier life involves first making your situation more difficult. How much excitement do you want? How many intense emotional experiences do you feel you need? Do you have to get caught up in some great drama? Must you deal with problem after problem? Sorry to ask all these questions, but then questions themselves can be so very destabilising. As soon as we start to ask them, we begin to chip away at whatever is making us feel most stable and secure. You can't just ignore an unsatisfactory situation, but nor do you have to give it your full attention ri...
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