The wonder muscle
Before I spin my yarn for the day, do me a favour. Will you? Okay, in fact, let’s do this together: let’s place our right hands on our chests as though we want to recite the national pledge. Let’s do this for the next minute. What do you feel? Anything pumping in there? I can hear you say, “Yes!” Cool, my point is made.
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That is your heart pounding right there. What at all is it about this organ which seems to be the subject of many conversations? I mean, the heart.
It’s a muscle a little larger than a closed fist, yet it has gained so much publicity, it’s as though it has employed public relations officers virtually everywhere around the globe. Too much talk about this little organ awed me to bits, I took time out to find out a bit more about what its make-up is like.
It is an amazing four chambered organ which rests somewhere in the left enclave of the chest. It has a bottom, and so it is not out of place to hear people say, “I love you from the bottom of my heart”.
This same organ has depth so you can hear a person say, “am speaking from the depth of my heart.” It can be broken into pieces, and this is a common phenomenon in wrecked relationships - a depressed person may be said to have suffered “a broken heart”.
This same organ can be given away as a gift so you hear people say, “I give you my heart”. We see and hear about hearts being given away almost every minute. And in fact, with the Valentine’s Day fast approaching, we shall see all sorts of shapes and sizes of hearts, pierced by the cupid’s arrow, being given away. Just you wait and see.
This four chamber without a hall organ can develop a hole (hole in heart). It can be opened too, so you sometimes hear people say, “open your heart to accept so and so person”. It can melt out of fear, so let’s construct a sentence like - “his heart melted at the sight of …”
At the same time it can be frozen. Ei, what an organ! - “Their hearts froze at the news”. Hmm! It can jump too – “his heart jumped when he entered the hall”. The heart can beat like a drum; throb with strength, and blast into pieces. And is it not amazing how this same organ, trapped behind the force of an enclosed human chest, be attacked? And so we hear people say, “that person suffered a heart attack”. Looks like the chest isn’t enough barricade against it being touched with bare hands – I have heard, time without number, people saying, “you have touched my heart”.
It can bleed (bleeding heart), It can change (change of heart), it can be turned into gold (a heart of gold), it can be stony (a heart of stone), can face another heart (heart-to-heart), or can become light (a light heart). Hahaaaaa, man can run after it (a man after my own heart); grow fonder with distance (distance makes the heart grow fonder); can be faint (faint hearted); or be blessed (a blessed heart).
This wonder organ can beat “by heart”, become warm (warm hearted), be cried out (cry one’s heart out) or become a storage facility for chicken: chicken-hearted. Hohohoo, it can be eaten too (eat your heart out) and can be used for a game of hide and seek; a game which requires that a hidden person or thing be found – ever heard the phrase, “find it in your heart to forgive them”.
The heart can be halved (half-hearted) or disappear from the human body (“He didn’t have the heart to …”). It can have an interest (interest at heart), and in some cases can relocate to the mouth (his heart was in his mouth). The heart can be set against or set on something. Incredibly, it can fail (heart failure). What an organ!
The heart astonishingly dances, but can sometimes miss a beat – so we say, “his heart missed a beat”. It can be poured out (pour your heart out) and be taken (take heart). Acting as a money lender, it can have low rates or high rates. And did you know the heart could serve as a writing pad, board or a writing screen? People write the names of their lovers across their hearts all the time. Obodai used to sing for me this popular song whose chorus starts with the lyrics, Write your name across my heart.
From the moment it begins beating until the moment it stops, the human heart works tirelessly – a very hard working organ indeed. In an average lifetime, the heart beats more than two and a half billion times without ever pausing to rest. I have never seen such a pumping machine as the heart, working constantly a whole life-time through. Ei, I almost forgot to tell you that the heart can be crossed too (cross my heart).
Hmm, I shall continue with my research on the famous organ and let you know more. Let’s meet at this same page same time next week.
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