Hot Baths and Jelly Doughnuts

The New York Times; February 13, 2015

If you are reading this from the bottom of your bed with an epically broken heart, you know what I say? Good. You find out what you are made of when you have a broken heart. If it happens early and often, all the better.

You will unearth your grit, your ingenuity and resolve. As brutal and unrelenting as it is, if you are broken hearted, it means that you have loved and loved big.

Quite soon you will have to pull up your socks, but it’s O.K. for a little while to imagine every smile line in his face, wear his sweater and cry openly on the subway. Hot baths and jelly donuts will help, too, so you should indulge in both of those things, as well.

But then, bring your heightened feelings into the world. Notice and groove on something small, like how unbelievably delicious a mango is, or how smart the people who give TED talks are. Read National Geographic and get some perspective. Listen to Beethoven’s 9th loudly — for real, the entire thing. Get your blood pumping. Heck, take a spinning class. Even walking around the block is a solid idea when your heart is broken.

While you might not be able to see clearly when you are heartbroken, something good is usually right around the corner, so the best idea is to keep rocking on.