How do I stop protecting myself and start opening my heart to love?

Protection made sense. Maybe it saved you once. But walls that kept you safe at fifteen can trap you at thirty-five. Mirabai understood this—her entire life was about dismantling the armor of propriety, status, and fear to meet love directly. Opening your heart doesn't mean dropping all boundaries. It means choosing which walls to keep and which to let dissolve. It means distinguishing between healthy protection (saying no to disrespect) and fearful armor (never letting anyone see you). The shift happens gradually, usually in small moments. Someone asks a real question and you answer honestly instead of deflecting. You admit you're lonely, uncertain, grieving. You let yourself need something. Each small opening makes the next one easier because you discover: you survive it. You're still here. Mirabai's devotion was radical not because she was fearless but because she loved anyway. She examined why she was afraid, and she chose love in the face of it. That's the work—not killing fear, but letting it coexist with courage. What's one small truth you've been holding back? Start there. Notice what happens when you speak it.