The notion of the big world came from interacting with my cat when I lived in Oceanside, California.

There was a fenced-in area on my patio that she could be outside but still protected. But if she went out the gate she was in the Big World. There were coyotes out there.

While she liked the safety of the fenced world, but she was always happiest and seemed most alive when she was out in the Big World.

Walking with your heart open requires you to live in the Big World. Life is live. The Big World is vast. You are directly interacting with all of creation and whatever walks in the door. This can feel overwhelming.

When we become overwhelmed and frightened, we tend to go into our heads. Metaphorically, the intellect is the fenced-in yard that my cat resided in.

In our intellect, we control everything and we feel safe. When reality becomes too daunting and overwhelming, we rewrite the script so it more manageable and convenient. This is how we create maya or illusion.

Our mind segments life into manageable pieces. The problem is that we are no longer interacting with life, we are now interacting with our contrived version of life.

Walking with your heart open requires a willingness to live the big world and to feel life directly.

When life becomes overwhelming, we need to rely on skills to manage the fear and overwhelm, and to keep our heart open.

That is, to take and deep breath and to feel what life is presenting. And, to trust our hearts to know what to do.