The 10 of Hearts Tarot. Man, when I first started messing around with these cards, everyone, and I mean everyone, pointed at that one and said, “That’s it, pure bliss! Happiness, family, all your dreams come true, rainbow and all.” And for a long time, that’s exactly what I saw too. A beautiful picture, right? A happy family, a home, everything looking just perfect and joyful. It’s the card you want to pull when you’re asking about your future, your relationships, your ultimate well-being. It just screams, “You made it!”
But life, as we all know, ain’t always a picture-perfect postcard. The more I lived, the more I got to experience the real grit and grind of things, the more I started looking at that 10 of Hearts with a raised eyebrow. Is it always happiness? Or is it just the idea of happiness we’ve been sold, packaged up nice and neat?
I remember this one period, not too long ago, when everything on paper, for all the world to see, looked like my own personal 10 of Hearts moment. I had landed a job that paid well, finally moved into a house I’d worked hard for, and my relationships, from the outside, seemed solid as a rock. Family gatherings were all smiles, pictures were posted, and everyone around me kept saying how “lucky” I was, how “good” I had it. They’d look at my life and probably think, “Yep, that’s a 10 of Hearts for sure.”
But let me tell you, inside, I was a total mess. I was working myself to the bone, trying to keep up this image, trying to maintain what everyone else thought was happiness. I was constantly drained, physically and emotionally. The “stable job” was actually soul-crushing, and the “solid relationships” felt superficial because I was too tired and preoccupied with maintaining the facade to truly connect. I’d sit in that beautiful house, staring at that Tarot card, and instead of feeling joy, I’d feel this heavy, crushing emptiness. It was like I had achieved the look of the 10 of Hearts, but completely missed the feeling of it. It was a hollow victory, a beautifully painted cage.
This went on for a while, this weird disconnect between what my life presented and what my soul actually felt. I kept pulling other cards, looking for answers, but the 10 of Hearts kept haunting me, almost mocking me with its promise of contentment. I just couldn’t reconcile the image of pure joy with the exhaustion and dread I felt every single day. I couldn’t understand why, when I seemingly had “everything” it represented, I was so utterly miserable.
Then something snapped, or maybe, it just finally clicked. I was having one of those particularly rough days, feeling completely burnt out and just staring blankly at the ceiling. And it hit me. That 10 of Hearts wasn’t a destination handed to me just because I got certain things. It wasn’t about possessing the external trappings of happiness. It was about the internal state. I realized I had been chasing someone else’s definition of happiness, trying to build a life that looked good to others, instead of building one that felt good to me.
That realization sparked a huge shift. It wasn’t easy, not by a long shot. It meant making some really tough choices. I started saying “no” to things that drained me, even if they were “expected” or “good for my career.” I began carving out time just for myself, for things that truly recharged my battery, no matter how small or insignificant they seemed to others. I even took a huge leap and walked away from that “dream” job, which felt like a scary, irrational move at the time, given all the “stability” it offered.
People around me were confused, some were even upset. They couldn’t understand why I would “give up” such a good life, why I was seemingly tearing down my own 10 of Hearts picture. But for the first time in a long time, I felt a flicker of genuine peace. It wasn’t the big, bright, explosive joy of the rainbow on the card. It was quieter, deeper, more sustainable. It was about authenticity.
Now, when I look at the 10 of Hearts, my understanding is totally different. Yeah, it represents emotional fulfillment, security, and true joy. But it’s not a ready-made package. It’s something you cultivate from within, by aligning your life with your truest self. It’s the happiness that comes from building a home not just with bricks and mortar, but with genuine connection, self-care, and purpose that resonates with your soul, not just society’s expectations. So, is the 10 of Hearts happiness? Absolutely. But it’s your happiness, not some generic, idealized version you blindly chase. And sometimes, you gotta dismantle what everyone else thinks is perfect to finally find what’s truly perfect for you.
