Vulnerability

Vulnerability: The willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome.

Brene Brown

Vulnerability

Vulnerability works hard to hold her head up high. It has taken her a long time to feel validated. She is ethereal, like a spectre, and weaves through shadows, but she smiles sweetly. She wears fleece because she likes the softness against her skin. She does not like buttons or zippers. She often dons a beanie.

She sleeps with her windows open, even in the winter. 

Forgiveness adores Vulnerability. When they get lost in conversations, Vulnerability inhales a righteous apology, holds it in her lungs for a moment, and then exhales with an earnest nod.  She lives for the moment when two pairs of eyes meet with smiles at their corners, when hunched shoulders relax, and when hands are clasped. She is proud of the release of tension that comes in her wake.

When our wildest ambitions become reality, Vulnerability salutes victoriously. Her coaxing voice, like a breeze, whispers just loud enough for us to turn in her direction. What did you say? we ask. You heard me, she grins slyly. Because she knows we did - heard every word - and it’s up to us to heed the invitation she offers. She holds open the door to Possibility. Together, these two, seemingly unlikely friends, know that if they raise their eyebrows to Expectation, Success will soon arrive on the scene and take a seat at the table. These kindred spirits will pour a drink and raise their glasses: L’Chiam.  

Vulnerability’s family tree has many branches. She is the sister to Openness and a cousin to Courage; she knows Acceptance intimately. She bolsters Fragility and persuades her out from the shadows. The world will be refreshed by your beauty, she purrs. Fragility smiles shyly - maybe one day she’ll bask in the light.

She struggles with Arrogance. His armor, fantastically gilded, deflects her relentlessly.  He doesn’t understand or see purpose in her methods, but she won’t stop trying to broker an armistice. 

Humility is her soulmate. They are lifers. They walk hand in hand on a blue-sky day and admire the shapes of the clouds. They don’t wear sunglasses. Their strides are synchronous. When they lock eyes from across a room, they smile knowingly. They communicate telepathically. Their connection is unparalleled. Together, they create a tenderness that envelops all of us. 

Seek her out. You won’t be sorry to know her. 

jrook 2021