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<\/a><\/p>\nWords are powerful. Tonight someone used a word to describe me that no one has ever used before and in my mind it was not complimentary, although to her, it might have been, or even neutral.\u00a0 Although I don’t \u00a0identify myself that way, it set wheels in motion that took me to a place I clearly needed to go. The word she used evoked an image of toughness and hardness, masculine, \u00a0rather than the soft, warm and fuzzy persona I prefer to exude. I admit to strength and resilience, born of necessity after being widowed at 40, raising an 11 year old son to manhood, supporting us both with several jobs simultaneously, keeping us in the same house all these years. Many’s the time I have deflected the nurturing from others that I put forth in my personal and professional caregiving roles. In the past 4 1\/2 years, since both my parents have also passed, I have girded myself even further, playing social worker and minister within their hospice journeys and officiating at their funerals, as well as\u00a0handling my mother’s estate. Alth0ugh I have grieved, I have also felt emotionally shut down at times; in a sense, putting a bookmark in the bereavement, a rock in the flow, so as to be able to function in my various and sundry roles. Tonight, the flood gates opened as I am on the verge of leaving my full time social worker- in -a -psychiatric- hospital job that I have held for 11 years, so that I can live my Bliss with my writing and speaking. Tomorrow is my last day there and during my tenure, I have supressed and submerged many of my emotions in service to my patients and their families. I have the feeling it will be a weepy day as I end one chapter in my life and begin another. I am willing to refrain from reading to the end of the book and instead, with courage, peruse one page at a time.<\/p>\n
Vulnerabilty doesn’t come easily to me. It implies a need to trust that the other person has my best interest at heart and would not intentionally cause harm and would\u00a0 be willing, in most cases, to agree to provide comfort when needed. Much easier to be the giver, the safe haven, the comforter that wraps around them, than ask for that myself. THAT is one reason I am a Cuddle Party facilitator, since we teach what we need to learn. In the workshop, there are opportunities to ask for what you want and to be able to hear ‘yes’ and ‘no’ with greater grace and acceptance. By doing so, vulnerability is on the line, bringing with it a chance for extraordinary growth. When we don’t receive what we think we want from someone, it offers the gift of our own beauty, strength and resilience. Thank you to that person whose description of me is contributing to my healing and being real and vulnerable. May we all be willing to be seen, known and lovcd.<\/p>\n
I enjoyed watching this video with\u00a0sister Social Worker and Storyteller Brene’ \u00a0Brown sharing her TED Talk \u00a0take on The Power of Vulnerability.<\/em><\/strong> The concepts she\u00a0put forth\u00a0mirror my own\u00a0experiences of desiring a sense of connection and belonging and despite appearances of being supremely self confident, I too question myself and my worthiness\/willingness to receive.<\/p>\nwww.youtube.com\/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Words are powerful. Tonight someone used a word to describe me that no one has ever used before and in my mind it was not complimentary, although to her, it might have been, or even neutral.\u00a0 Although I don’t \u00a0identify myself that way, it set wheels in motion that took me to a place…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":233,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,1,2,12,13,19,3,4,16],"tags":[1871,993,1872,1873],"class_list":["post-3316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-affirmations","category-attracting-what-you-desire","category-bliss","category-bliss-kiss-for-your-weekend","category-blissfull-thinking","category-empowerment","category-gratitude","category-inspiration","category-my-personal-bliss","tag-brene-brown","tag-cuddle-party","tag-ted-talk","tag-the-power-of-vulnerability"],"yoast_head":"\n
Vulnerability - The Bliss Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2012\/06\/vulnerability.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vulnerability - The Bliss Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\" Words are powerful. Tonight someone used a word to describe me that no one has ever used before and in my mind it was not complimentary, although to her, it might have been, or even neutral.\u00a0 Although I don’t \u00a0identify myself that way, it set wheels in motion that took me to a place…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2012\/06\/vulnerability.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Bliss Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/snuggleyoga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-06-15T02:42:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-06-15T03:11:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/blissblog\/files\/2012\/06\/openhand.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EdieWeinstein1\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Vulnerability - The Bliss Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2012\/06\/vulnerability.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Vulnerability - The Bliss Blog","og_description":" Words are powerful. 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She has also contributed to several anthologies and personal growth books. Edie has interviewed such notables as Ram Dass, Wayne Dyer, Debbie Ford, don Miguel Ruiz, don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. Marianne Williamson, Grover Washington, Jr. Noah Levine, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Weaver, Ben and Jerry and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She calls herself an Opti-mystic who sees the world through the eyes of possibility. 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