•  
  •  

Scholarly Commons > HCA Healthcare Journal > Vol. 7 > Iss. 3 (2026)

 

Keywords

heart; rest; self-care; painting; monochrome; meditation; rhythm; relaxation; failure; humanities; medicine in the arts

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Medical Humanities

Abstract

Diastole is the space between heartbeats. It is in this space that the heart actively rests, refills. These periods of relaxation are what allow the next heartbeat to occur. A heart without diastole is in heart failure. In medical training, we are raised on the myth that constant effort equals devotion, that rest is a luxury. A sense of guilt riddles me when I take a sick day, or when I feel I am not doing enough, fast enough. This work is a meditation on the nature of rhythm, and the rhythm of nature. These quiet spaces are not signs of weakness, but rather deliberate, and vital. In this piece I visualize this feeling of stillness. An exhalation. It is a reminder to myself to listen to the wisdom of the heart. And it is permission, unapologetically, to rest, refill, continue.

Download

Share

COinS