| ANNE WILLIAMSON |
My daughter is walking now. Yea! She's also falling now... A LOT. And not soft, little bottom plops. Big, face-plant falls into unkind objects. I hate when she gets hurts, but it's complicated because I'm also proud of why she gets hurt: she's willing to fall.
In the below reflection by Lily Percy, she writes, "Part of living curiously is being open to failure. And part of failure is being willing to be vulnerable."
The thing about kids is they're necessarily vulnerable. They don't have a choice. It's either step forward or forever remain seated. For parents, this can be scary, but more so, if we let it, it's inspiring. What would happen if we each chose, or perhaps accepted, vulnerability? Would it stop holding us back? Would we, like kids, become more willing to fall, to fail, to step forward curiously? In fact, would we begin to see vulnerability as a prerequisite for growth? LEARN, LISTEN, LOVE...
Read "Faith In Possibility" by Lily Percy, NPR's On Being Senior Producer
What "speaks" to you? Maybe it's connected to vulnerability, maybe not. Share it... with a partner, friend, God, etc. Keep listening...
We look with uncertainty
Beyond the old choices for
Clear-cut answers
To a softer, more permeable aliveness
Which is every moment
At the brink of death;
For something new is being born in us
If we but let it.
We stand at a new doorway,
Awaiting that which comes...
Daring to be human creatures.
Vulnerable to the beauty of existence.
Learning to love.
-- Anne Hillman
(Printed in Life Prayers. Editors: Elizabeth Roberts & Elias Amidon. Adapted from Anne Hillman, The Dancing Animal Woman - A Celebration of Life.)
Let these words seep a moment. Be still. Listen. Maybe offer them again as a prayer. Keep listening. Then...
Try something. Follow what you're "hearing." Be a little brave. Actively love by setting an intention for the coming week.
I'll offer this... Consider something that makes you feel vulnerable. Hint: It's connected to your fears. Maybe it has to do with a relationship, work or school, God, your health or someone else's, the list goes on. Speak it. First to yourself, then to a trusted O/other. See if naming it doesn't help to disempower it. Then, consider taking one, small step straight into your vulnerability. I can't promise no bruises but growing is so worth it!