Putting on a swimsuit makes me think of breakfast. I’ll tell you why in a minute, first some background. Once upon a time, I used to order swimsuits out of the Victoria Secret catalogue. Seriously, I’d just pick one, put in my size. Swimsuit accomplished. I didn’t even know how good I had it. I actually picked based on things like the color of the swimsuit! Now, it’s not so easy. There’s usually an ugly, sweaty, scene in some dressing room with me grunting and wrestling with some impossibly tight something or other. At the same time, I’m doing a lot of work sucking in this and pushing out that. Once I finally settle on the least horrific of all the choices, I think of breakfast. It has to do with pancakes up front, something that resembles scrambled eggs in the rear and a big loaf of bread around the mid-section.

So now I spend my time really focusing on the cover-ups and sit back on an excuse like, “oh, I’m a little chilly” or “thinking about heading to the restrooms soon”. Uh-huh. Which brings me to the point. What could be more vulnerable than a swimsuit? And you know in some countries, they actually go naked to the beach. Can you imagine??!! No cover-ups or push-ups or miracle suits. I’d like to be that comfortable with my own vulnerability. The truth is I’m just not. I’d rather be doing pretty much anything else than talking about my feelings. Now that I think about it, if you come to my house during a challenging time, you’d think you were in a comedy club. That’s always been my safe place-making jokes to divert attention from whatever the real issue is. Working on it. But in the meantime, if you see me in my cover-up, just tell me it’s a nice color and please…don't say anything about breakfast!

Simply stated, vulnerability is having the courage to allow your true self to be seen!  It takes courage to remove your mask and armor and let others see the real you.  It can be scary to feel emotionally exposed, but opening yourself up and letting others in is vital for authentic connection.

You may have been conditioned to see vulnerability as weakness, but in fact, it takes a strong person to own their truth, to stand tall and be brave when they feel uncomfortable!

Brene Brown, Ph.D., LMSW and author of Daring Greatly, says that vulnerability is the core of all emotions and feelings.  She states that to feel is to be vulnerable.  So if we believe that vulnerability is weakness, then we believe that having feelings of any kind makes us weak.  

Brown states that vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity.  It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity.  And she proclaims that if we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.

So let's make a pact with one another that we will stand strong together, be courageous, be real, and be vulnerable so we can live our lives with more love and joy!