Precious Vulnerability | The art of letting down the walls

Rescue pups appreciate vulnerability too. Getting on their level, having a calm and soothing presence… Magic. | Photography by Rachel Renee

Not a day goes by that I don’t find myself as part of a conversation about the power of vulnerability and the importance of meeting someone where they are, from a space of non-judgment. . . and this week I found myself wondering if there’s an art to letting down the walls.

What is it that makes true vulnerability so precious?

True vulnerability is a step beyond meeting someone where they are. It’s meeting someone where they are, knowing and openly exposing where YOU are as well. It’s a two-way street, a soul-deep level of intimacy where you're able to be fully yourself, and the other person is also fully themselves.

Think fire-side conversations on a starry summer evening. . . and then imagine that same connection, but sober in the light of day- in public even. And it still feels as deep, precious, and significant. That is true vulnerability.

Part of the preciousness of true vulnerability is simply how rare it is. . . to find someone brave enough and committed enough to become so self-aware that they are able to actually know themselves and where they are- both intimately and in the big picture. . . and then to be willing to share themselves openly, knowing their own vices, flaws, and weaknesses and holding nothing back.

True vulnerability just might be pure magic.

The thing that makes it so powerful is how deeply everyone craves that connection. We all want to feel loved, accepted, belonging. . . we want to feel companionship and like we have support, like we’re needed and wanted. When someone shows us fully who they are, they invite us to be open with reality and drop the mask and facade. When we accept that invitation and show ourselves fully, it is a gift to the person who invited us to be vulnerable with them.

True vulnerability can be so very lonely without the kind of company that knows how to appreciate and show up for that kind of interaction. Even the strongest and most deeply connected person you know could be lonely if nobody every shows up on that deeper level with them.

Vulnerability, belonging, love, acceptance. . .
Just like all sacred things, these are for everyone.

Everyone is capable and deserving of feeling true vulnerability and sharing that feeling. It’s a precious experience that you can create with intention, discipline, and a little grace. If you’ve never been able to share this experience before, give it a try.

Let go of expectations and pressure, just share with someone you love that you’d like to connect in a space where you can be fully yourself and that you’d like to share the experience with them. It can be a parent, friend, sibling, partner. . . This kind of intimacy isn’t reserved for artists who are madly in love- it’s for everyone.

I think the world would be a much kinder place if we all saw each other a little deeper more often.