When Starlight says, "I felt my heart open." Whutzat?

In Ms. Glimmer and the Do-Nothing Prince, Starlight is constantly learning about friendship, and, now, suddenly, love. When things happen in the story and she ends up saying "I felt my heart open," she finds the sensation as confusing as it is profound. This feeling isn't a metaphorical something made up for the story. This is something that I, the author, feel and learned to make happen at will.

A few decades ago, my spouse became worried when I could not say the words, "I love you." When we discussed it, I finally had to admit that I didn't understand what the words met, or what love really was. We shared a profound attachment and a deep friendship, but I knew that wasn't the definition I needed. We agreed I had to research that, or there would be problems in our relationship. My spouse wanted to hear those words; I wanted them to be genuine.

I read a lot about the subject, but was when I read The Mammoth Hunters by Jean M. Auel that I found the sense of what love meant. For whatever reason (sadly I don't remember the page numbers), something clicked. My intuition and subconscious agreed that what I read was it. At that moment, I realized I had only to think about love and a person and something happened to me. My chest expanded. I got a shivery feeling. My breath increased, warmth flooded in—

My heart opened up. Moreover, I could think of a person and get this feeling just by wanting to feel it. I could overflow. (Another phrase from the book.)

Made the spouse happy. Made it easy to feel compassion for anyone. Empathy came easily thenceforward.

Thus, when I use the phrase "I felt my heart open up," in Ms Glimmer and the Do-Nothing Prince, and "I was overflowing," they are real life feelings. It is of no little consequence that Starlight stumbles on to the ability in this story. I dare say, it is pivotal. Now you can read the story with a different perspective!