Norton: When everything looks like a heart
Have you ever noticed how sometimes you see the shape of a heart in the most unexpected places? Maybe it’s in the clouds as they part and rejoin, or in the way the sunlight cuts through a break in the sky. Perhaps it shows up in the pitting of a worn sidewalk, the irregular pattern of asphalt, or the jagged edge of a stone. It might be in the bark of a tree, the curve of a seashell, or the delicate lines of a fallen leaf.
I know it’s not just me, when I’ve shared these little sightings with others, they nod and smile. They’ve seen them, too.
Recently, during my morning walks, I’ve noticed more hearts than ever before. At first, it felt like a happy coincidence. But then I started wondering: Why now? Why am I seeing hearts everywhere I look?
The answer came quietly but clearly: Maybe it’s because my heart is open, open to loving and being loved, open to noticing the signs, open to receiving the messages all around me.
And perhaps these heart-shaped reminders are just that, messages. Messages that love is always present. Not just in grand gestures or hallmark moments, but in the everyday. In nature. In the people around us. In our memories and our moments of stillness.
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It reminded me of that old country song, “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places.” Maybe we need to start looking for love in all the right places, the kind of love that isn’t loud or flashy but present, steady, generous and sometimes even quiet. The kind that leaves clues if you’re willing to see them.
As I walked and reflected, each heart-shaped find brought to mind someone I love: my wife, my family, my friends, my coworkers, my church family and those kind souls whose presence lifts me. But it also opened the door to grief, reminding me of those whose faces I no longer get to see. There’s a tender pain in that kind of remembering, but also a deep beauty. The memories themselves carry love. They become a gentle whisper: You were loved. You still are.
I’ve come to believe that when everything starts to look like a heart, it’s a sign that our emotions are not just alive but awake. We are tuned into something deeper. We’re allowing love to rise to the surface and shape how we see the world.
Of course, not everyone walks through life looking for hearts. Some seem to make it their mission to find what’s broken. They focus on the bad, the unjust, the messy. And while we should never turn a blind eye to pain or pretend problems don’t exist, there’s something to be said for being a good-finder, someone who seeks out what’s beautiful, kind and loving. Or better yet, a love-finder.
There’s no denying the division and noise that echo through the world today. But maybe, just maybe, there’s truth in another song lyric: What the world needs now, is love, sweet love. Not the abstract kind. The real kind. The kind that sees hearts in tree bark and cracks in the pavement. The kind that sees people fully. That gives generously. That believes again and again that love is always worth it.
So if your heart feels a little more open lately, or even if you’re just beginning to crack the door, I hope you start seeing the signs. I hope hearts show up in unexpected places. I hope you let those shapes turn your thoughts to the people you love and to the memories that still breathe warmth into your spirit.
And maybe, just maybe, when everything starts to look like a heart, it’s God reminding you of what truly matters. After all, we’re called to love as we have been loved.
So here’s my prayer for you: May your days be filled with hearts. May your heart be open. And may love always find its way in. As always, I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com and when we take notice when everything looks like a heart, it really will be a better-than-good life.
Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager, and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.
