A Musing on Vulnerability

Here's the thing about vulnerability: It's scary. It can hurt. you might have to force yourself into it. But, ultimately, it's essential. It connects us to each other and opens the doors to what we want in life. It requires courage and acceptance. It's allowing our deepest feelings - fears and desires - to be seen by another person. It's putting those emotions on display where they can potentially be judged (good or bad), they can be disregarded, or they can be welcomed. Either way, expressing those feelings is crucial to being fulfilled. What do you want? Why? If you can't answer those things, no one else can do it for you. If you can't answer those questions, or express the answers, how will you ever get what you need out of life, or another person?

I think I'm a pretty vulnerable and emotional person. I wear my emotions on my face, most of the time unintentionally. I can tap into dark places relatively quickly and find myself dug into a deep hole, needing help from others. I let things get to me, which is really not the best idea for an actor who faces rejection at every turn. But if you ask me how I feel, I can definitely tell you. I've been hurt in the past while opening up to people and telling them how I feel, and where I'm coming from - everyone has. And I don't regret it. It showed me who was in my life to stay, and who wasn't. The important thing is to not let that hurt, that emotional scarring, stop you from being vulnerable the next time around. Perhaps that next time is when you find the person who opens their arms and embraces everything you are, and loves you for it.

Being vulnerable is hard, but it can be oh, so rewarding too.