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| detail from Seasons of the Soul ©1993 Stephanie E. Robinson |
I grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina. Not far from my hometown of Cullowhee is a beautiful mountain lake. At one end of the lake was a dam and above the spillway was a corrugated metal shed. When I was in my teens, a group of us would hike down to the dam and climb up on top of the shed and jump into the lake. The distance from the top of the shed to the water below was maybe 20 feet.
I have always had a bit of a fear of heights but I was determined not to let it keep me from participating in the adventure. It was like a rite of passage. Point your toes and hold you arms close to your sides or the water will smack you hard when you hit the surface, we were told by the older kids.
After climbing on the roof, I looked down at the water that seemed so far below, but my feet were burning standing on the hot metal roof baking in the summer sun. There was no backing out now. I jumped... and it seemed like I was falling for a long time even though it was seconds. The water stung the soles of my feet... guess I forgot to point my toes! I let out a triumphant yell underwater that only I could hear.
the plunge...
uncertainty.....risk.....emotional exposure.....
Brene Brown's Ted talk on vulnerability is like therapy for me. I go back and listen to it when I feel like I need to be reminded that feeling vulnerable is an essential part of being. Here is a link to that video:
http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html
Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation creativity and change.
~ Dr. Brene' Brown
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