I’m grateful that you let us into your head because you know we all have a lot of clutter in there. I’m beginning to appreciate vulnerability for the sweet humanity it reveals.
The title of this posting grabbed ahold of me and it won't let go. As I read through I realized why. This message was delivered on purpose and as always my friend, right on time. Extending gratitude for sharing your gifts.
This article put me in a deep mindset this morning, away from all my busy distractions, and that's as good a start to the day as any meditation offers. Thank you.
I thought this was it—“Vulnerability will never feel like the safest way to live, but it starts to feel like the sanest way to live, because it’s in alignment with the reality of our humanity.”—Until I got to the final paragraphs and teared up.
Thank you for so wonderfully capturing this perspective on vulnerability.
Because of so much trust being broken in my childhood, vulnerability is something I've struggled with so much. To the point of almost skipping out on some of the (now) best experiences of my life for fear of making friends and being betrayed. This was just what I needed, thank you.
“You don’t become fully human when you find relationships that never hurt you. You become fully human when you can find your okayness in the midst of relationships that inevitably hurt you.”
So good, Kelly! A couple years ago, a good friend of mine, someone who I felt totally seen and known by, ghosted me, and I haven’t heard from her since. Even to share that story now, brings up the confusion and a variety of other emotions that I felt back then. it still hurts. I appreciate your post this morning because I recognize my little girl Rho is still responding to that situation as if there’s something wrong with me. I don’t know what caused the sudden departure for her from our relationship, and I may never know, but I am reminded by your post today, to be kind and gentle and OK with myself. Thanks Kelly!
Yes, Rho, you are okay and you're going to be okay, no matter what the cause of that painful rupture. So glad this could be a part of affirming that for you.
Thank you again for your wonderful writing and expression of something so difficult to understand and even more difficult to practice in life. Your comment about being okay with ourselves, even when someone else has somehow shown us that we "are not okay" really reminded me of someone I really loved and who stopped talking to me, without an explanation. It hurt for a long time. We have now "sort of" begun a little talking, but as you said, it's not the same anymore. Your words help me to realize that I'm still okay, even if that relationship never will again. Thank you again for sharing your wisdom.
I'm so glad this resonated with you, Jenny. I imagine that even though you are trying to reconnect with that someone, your heart remains a little closed, trying to prevent you from more pain. Regardless of what happens, you will be growing in your capacity to work with your own heart. Blessings upon the work.
I absolutely love this post Kelly and everything like this that you’ve written in the past. I loved it so much, I sent it to two of my adult sons, who suffer in corporate America, where they have to hide their vulnerability, suck things up, and always act like everything is doable. I’m beyond grateful you created this sacred space and hope Vulnerability becomes a topic for a future human hour. I also loved and related to the words while walking with your little one, you’re OK. Gorgeous. Lastly, I hope your son was able to get his finger stitched with minimal discomfort.
If memory serves me right, there is no human hour this Friday because you have something else going on…correct?
I'm thrilled to hear you sent it to your sons and hope it can be a source of encouragement for them! With regard to my son, yes, thanks for asking, Aidan took eight stitches to get it back on and he's recovering nicely.
The Human Hour this month will be on June 20 at 3pm CDT. An announcement post will go out this coming Monday. Looks like you're already registered, though!
beautiful, ain't it the truth and why is it that we expect to transcend beyond it. someone once said to me- pain can tell you a lot, don’t be so quick to mask/remove it. vulnerability as a guide. yes.
“It’s not weakness. It doesn’t need to be healed. You can’t evolve beyond it. You just need to notice it, because it’s showing you what matters to you.”
This. ❤️ The state of vulnerability is a place my soul truly rejoices. I have been recently gifted with writing homework via StoryWorth. 😂
It was a Mother’s Day gift from my adult daughter. The first question I responded to was advice for future generations. Ha! As if we’d listen in our youth but I answered. Tucked in the middle of an except of my words to my family is my true feeling about vulnerability!
Be BOLD.
Be BRAVE.
Be Kind.
Find your WHY.
Find YOUR way.
Stay Curious about everyone and everything!
Play, have fun, and love with your whole heart.
Ugly cry when your heart breaks and yell from the mountaintop when your heart soars.
Surround yourself with good friends, loving people, and folks who aren’t afraid of life.
Confront your FEARs as they come. Don’t wait around until they grow so big it seems impossible to move through them.
Let vulnerability be your SUPERPOWER.
Let your guard down for the right people and let them love you.
Let your intuition and logic debate as long as they need to, until they come to a workable agreement on a decision— rush nothing.
Tell God everything. He already knows it all, but it helps our heart to say it out loud to Him. Talking to God IS prayer. He is always for YOU. His provision never has a winner or loser. His ways of answering our prayers will heal your heart in places you didn’t even know were broken. Life is a gift we open to (or not!) everyday!
I believe choosing to allow vulnerability, especially after hurting and healing, is a superpower that reaches backwards and forwards in time to help us shift our perception and intentions toward our future selves and others. Vulnerability guides us into the depths of humanity that runs “underneath” all of humanity. In that underneath such wisdom is worked out. Scoop it up and share it! 🥰🥰🥰🥰
I wish I had some profound connection to write, but I think most importantly is a sincere thank you, like a fellow reader mentioned, for letting us in your head. I look forward to reading your thoughts, like nourishment for my soul. Your guidance always seems to apply to something going on in my life.
Mesa, I'm so glad we got connected through that Lovely space, and I'm glad this resonated with you! I see you're writing a memoir. Following you now and cheering you on!
My "best friend" might never have been a good friend. He and I met in 8th grade when he moved into the neighborhood and typically when I was with him it was just the two of us hanging out, playing games or him telling me all about his comics or books and stuff his parents got for him and his brother. He talked "real" with me compared to the social stuff he did with others around. I shared him with a lot of other people because he was popular among many groups. He fit into several different clicks every year of high school. I was partially accepted by others who came through but never really part of the group like he was. I left on my mission for two years at 19 and came home. I grew up a lot. I matured and had a path to success in my heart and some ideas on how to get there in my head. He had tried college but partied a little too hard and flunked out. He was on a downward spiral of letting go of any dreams and just finding ways to get by with a nowhere factory job compared to his original asperations to be a clothing designer or graphic artist. He told me that I was his conscience and that he felt a little abandoned while I was away. I did write to him a lot but he never really returned any of my letters. We met up several times over the next couple of years from then as we both married and had kids, but then we never met up again after visiting for a few minutes close to 20 years ago. It wasn't a bad visit, kind of awkward, but it was the last one. He will still respond to some of my Facebook messages every once in a while but he never really reaches out or agrees to meet up with me when I'm in town to see my parents. I don't know what he knows about me or if he cares or not. I want to know more about him and be connected but I don't get much when I do try. It's a little sad for me. I don't have any other best friends or people I truly think of that way. I have people I know better and do a lot more with that I have lovely and bright experiences with every time we interact. Still, they aren't best friends, just good people I'm friendly with. I quickly relate to you Kelly as we seem to have so much in common at times, but I assume you may well think of me in similar ways as I think of you. A neat guy I can relate to who is a great friend and who I enjoy connecting with when time allows. There is a slight "professional" connection with the books and reviews and such but generally I have nothing but pleasant thoughts about our interactions. Yet, hopefully its not offensive, I don't feel best friend vibes from all that, even though it's so much more than I have with my childhood best friend. I'm vulnerable with you and this little community and it's good, but I "FEEL" vulnerable with Bob. Just thinking of him brings nostalgia and pain. I gave all my years to him growing up. I didn't hold any other friendships so well as I did with him. We knew the same kids from the same neighborhood and we each separately did lots of stuff with all of them at times. Yet, it's my connection with Bob that puts me in that place where I'm not comfortable.
I’m grateful that you let us into your head because you know we all have a lot of clutter in there. I’m beginning to appreciate vulnerability for the sweet humanity it reveals.
Thank you for letting us in your head, where there's some wonderful prose. "The sweet humanity it reveals," indeed.
The title of this posting grabbed ahold of me and it won't let go. As I read through I realized why. This message was delivered on purpose and as always my friend, right on time. Extending gratitude for sharing your gifts.
Glad it arrived at the right time again, my friend. Extending gratitude to you for being a wonderful person and raising wonderful people!
This article put me in a deep mindset this morning, away from all my busy distractions, and that's as good a start to the day as any meditation offers. Thank you.
That makes me so happy to hear, Trevy. 😊
I thought this was it—“Vulnerability will never feel like the safest way to live, but it starts to feel like the sanest way to live, because it’s in alignment with the reality of our humanity.”—Until I got to the final paragraphs and teared up.
Thank you for so wonderfully capturing this perspective on vulnerability.
Great to run into another guy with a soft heart for the inner child. Appreciate you reading and your kind words, Josh.
This is so deep and something I hadn't really unlocked before. Thank you for sharing.
So glad this opened up new awareness for you, Kristen!
Wow, amazing!
Because of so much trust being broken in my childhood, vulnerability is something I've struggled with so much. To the point of almost skipping out on some of the (now) best experiences of my life for fear of making friends and being betrayed. This was just what I needed, thank you.
You're not alone in that, Gloria. I'm so glad this feels like encouragement to not skip the good but sometimes scary stuff!
“You don’t become fully human when you find relationships that never hurt you. You become fully human when you can find your okayness in the midst of relationships that inevitably hurt you.”
So good, Kelly! A couple years ago, a good friend of mine, someone who I felt totally seen and known by, ghosted me, and I haven’t heard from her since. Even to share that story now, brings up the confusion and a variety of other emotions that I felt back then. it still hurts. I appreciate your post this morning because I recognize my little girl Rho is still responding to that situation as if there’s something wrong with me. I don’t know what caused the sudden departure for her from our relationship, and I may never know, but I am reminded by your post today, to be kind and gentle and OK with myself. Thanks Kelly!
Yes, Rho, you are okay and you're going to be okay, no matter what the cause of that painful rupture. So glad this could be a part of affirming that for you.
Thank you again for your wonderful writing and expression of something so difficult to understand and even more difficult to practice in life. Your comment about being okay with ourselves, even when someone else has somehow shown us that we "are not okay" really reminded me of someone I really loved and who stopped talking to me, without an explanation. It hurt for a long time. We have now "sort of" begun a little talking, but as you said, it's not the same anymore. Your words help me to realize that I'm still okay, even if that relationship never will again. Thank you again for sharing your wisdom.
I'm so glad this resonated with you, Jenny. I imagine that even though you are trying to reconnect with that someone, your heart remains a little closed, trying to prevent you from more pain. Regardless of what happens, you will be growing in your capacity to work with your own heart. Blessings upon the work.
I absolutely love this post Kelly and everything like this that you’ve written in the past. I loved it so much, I sent it to two of my adult sons, who suffer in corporate America, where they have to hide their vulnerability, suck things up, and always act like everything is doable. I’m beyond grateful you created this sacred space and hope Vulnerability becomes a topic for a future human hour. I also loved and related to the words while walking with your little one, you’re OK. Gorgeous. Lastly, I hope your son was able to get his finger stitched with minimal discomfort.
If memory serves me right, there is no human hour this Friday because you have something else going on…correct?
I'm thrilled to hear you sent it to your sons and hope it can be a source of encouragement for them! With regard to my son, yes, thanks for asking, Aidan took eight stitches to get it back on and he's recovering nicely.
The Human Hour this month will be on June 20 at 3pm CDT. An announcement post will go out this coming Monday. Looks like you're already registered, though!
June 20th is a Thursday. Was that the change for this month?
Yes exactly, same week but a different day and time!
beautiful, ain't it the truth and why is it that we expect to transcend beyond it. someone once said to me- pain can tell you a lot, don’t be so quick to mask/remove it. vulnerability as a guide. yes.
thank you.
"Why is it that we expect to transcend beyond it?" is a great question for reflection!
I love seeing vulnerability as a guide. A beautiful mindset shift!
Thanks, Victoria!
“It’s not weakness. It doesn’t need to be healed. You can’t evolve beyond it. You just need to notice it, because it’s showing you what matters to you.”
This. ❤️ The state of vulnerability is a place my soul truly rejoices. I have been recently gifted with writing homework via StoryWorth. 😂
It was a Mother’s Day gift from my adult daughter. The first question I responded to was advice for future generations. Ha! As if we’d listen in our youth but I answered. Tucked in the middle of an except of my words to my family is my true feeling about vulnerability!
Be BOLD.
Be BRAVE.
Be Kind.
Find your WHY.
Find YOUR way.
Stay Curious about everyone and everything!
Play, have fun, and love with your whole heart.
Ugly cry when your heart breaks and yell from the mountaintop when your heart soars.
Surround yourself with good friends, loving people, and folks who aren’t afraid of life.
Confront your FEARs as they come. Don’t wait around until they grow so big it seems impossible to move through them.
Let vulnerability be your SUPERPOWER.
Let your guard down for the right people and let them love you.
Let your intuition and logic debate as long as they need to, until they come to a workable agreement on a decision— rush nothing.
Tell God everything. He already knows it all, but it helps our heart to say it out loud to Him. Talking to God IS prayer. He is always for YOU. His provision never has a winner or loser. His ways of answering our prayers will heal your heart in places you didn’t even know were broken. Life is a gift we open to (or not!) everyday!
I believe choosing to allow vulnerability, especially after hurting and healing, is a superpower that reaches backwards and forwards in time to help us shift our perception and intentions toward our future selves and others. Vulnerability guides us into the depths of humanity that runs “underneath” all of humanity. In that underneath such wisdom is worked out. Scoop it up and share it! 🥰🥰🥰🥰
I love ALL of this, but this part really jumped out at me: "Surround yourself with...folks who aren't afraid of life." I love that so much.
I wish I had some profound connection to write, but I think most importantly is a sincere thank you, like a fellow reader mentioned, for letting us in your head. I look forward to reading your thoughts, like nourishment for my soul. Your guidance always seems to apply to something going on in my life.
Michelle, that means so much to me, thank you, because the voice that wonders if everyone is tired of hearing my thoughts never totally goes away. 😊
Well, this is so very much something I needed to read today. Thank you Kelly ❤️❤️ (Found you through Letters from Love)
Mesa, I'm so glad we got connected through that Lovely space, and I'm glad this resonated with you! I see you're writing a memoir. Following you now and cheering you on!
Thank you Kelly!! I am so happy to be connected to you now too!! 😍
My "best friend" might never have been a good friend. He and I met in 8th grade when he moved into the neighborhood and typically when I was with him it was just the two of us hanging out, playing games or him telling me all about his comics or books and stuff his parents got for him and his brother. He talked "real" with me compared to the social stuff he did with others around. I shared him with a lot of other people because he was popular among many groups. He fit into several different clicks every year of high school. I was partially accepted by others who came through but never really part of the group like he was. I left on my mission for two years at 19 and came home. I grew up a lot. I matured and had a path to success in my heart and some ideas on how to get there in my head. He had tried college but partied a little too hard and flunked out. He was on a downward spiral of letting go of any dreams and just finding ways to get by with a nowhere factory job compared to his original asperations to be a clothing designer or graphic artist. He told me that I was his conscience and that he felt a little abandoned while I was away. I did write to him a lot but he never really returned any of my letters. We met up several times over the next couple of years from then as we both married and had kids, but then we never met up again after visiting for a few minutes close to 20 years ago. It wasn't a bad visit, kind of awkward, but it was the last one. He will still respond to some of my Facebook messages every once in a while but he never really reaches out or agrees to meet up with me when I'm in town to see my parents. I don't know what he knows about me or if he cares or not. I want to know more about him and be connected but I don't get much when I do try. It's a little sad for me. I don't have any other best friends or people I truly think of that way. I have people I know better and do a lot more with that I have lovely and bright experiences with every time we interact. Still, they aren't best friends, just good people I'm friendly with. I quickly relate to you Kelly as we seem to have so much in common at times, but I assume you may well think of me in similar ways as I think of you. A neat guy I can relate to who is a great friend and who I enjoy connecting with when time allows. There is a slight "professional" connection with the books and reviews and such but generally I have nothing but pleasant thoughts about our interactions. Yet, hopefully its not offensive, I don't feel best friend vibes from all that, even though it's so much more than I have with my childhood best friend. I'm vulnerable with you and this little community and it's good, but I "FEEL" vulnerable with Bob. Just thinking of him brings nostalgia and pain. I gave all my years to him growing up. I didn't hold any other friendships so well as I did with him. We knew the same kids from the same neighborhood and we each separately did lots of stuff with all of them at times. Yet, it's my connection with Bob that puts me in that place where I'm not comfortable.
VULNERABILITY
"...it's showing you what matters to you.
How do you know who you really love?
You feel vulnerable when they really see you.
How do you know what you really want to write?
You feel vulnerable when you sit down to write it.
How do you know you actually love the life you’re living?
You feel vulnerable about everything that might end it."