The necessity of vulnerability.

http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

Among the many beautifully illustrated ideas presented in this talk I see many elements of my life described with exceptional precision.  Tonight I will just share a couple of these ideas.

I am a person who has a strong sense of love and belonging... and I do believe I am worthy of it. And the reasons for my beliefs in this regard are directly tied to the way I was raised.  Some of it comes from the learned principles ensconced in my heart by the religion I was raised to understand, but the core of it comes from the way my parents treated each other and me as they raised me up from a small child to the person I have now become.

I am highly driven to express my authenticity as a human being, imperfections included. I do fully embrace vulnerability, as it is one of the integral parts of truly honest living.  It is a fundamental act of faith in what I believe is the correct way to be.  I am not perfect in my efforts to even adhere to this personal agenda... but I do try very hard.  And despite my personal enthusiasm for all of this I can not remember for even one second thinking that other people should be doing it my way.  I have always merely thought this is simply the way MY life needed to operate.

There are things in my life that can be described by this motivation.  I bare my testimony in church every month because of this, despite the difficulty of sharing my deepest feelings in a public forum.  I write daily in my journal and blog because of this, despite how my obvious flaws and faults are immortalized in my words.  I laugh freely and openly nearly anywhere at anytime because of this, despite what others my think of me because of this habit which is no doubt annoying to some people - even people I care about deeply.  And, though it happens extremely rarely(only twice or so in the last decade), I am compelled to tell the girls I have feelings for about those feelings for them because of this, despite the expected rejection which has always followed and the generally futile feeling I have regarding the opposite sex(which is definitely the opposite of sex... whatever that is... ha)

This talk is rich with ideas that I would still like to explore and I would love even more the opportunity to hear other people's thoughts on it all as well.  Every idea offered by anyone would be gratitudinously received!