“Courage is telling our story, not being immune to criticism.” Julia Marks
Vulnerability and my story…I have returned to my memoir. All this vulnerability stuff is pushing me that way. I need to tell my story. I wrote a version of it 12 years ago, but it’s terrible. Oh my God, when I say that some writing needs to be burned like medical waste, I was referring to my very first attempt to get words on paper.
I see these 20-year-olds who are creating start-up Unicorns and then I read my memoir written at 34 and think, sheesh, how did I manage to raise a child and run a business…
I was always afraid that I wouldn’t do it justice or that I will upset people, but the hurt is gone around how other people treated me then.
The story I will write now is vastly different to the one I would have written 20 years ago, or even five. I want to write
Here are two more great resources on vulnerability. Debbie Millman with Brene Brown and Jonathan Robinson on how to really communicate for understanding in relationships.
Vulnerability and Adoption
I have a major problem with vulnerability. The dictionary doesn’t help, describing it as “the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.”
I know it has a more complex meaning but this is the essence of it. Allowing myself to be vulnerable meant a lot of fear. This is a fairly common problem for adoptees, I am told. The Nature/Nurture debate is so last century; we are a complex combination of our genetics and our environment.
When you’re adopted, you have to learn to fit in, become a new person, especially if the person you are authentically doesn’t gel with those in your new life.
I feel brave talking about adoption. But it feels authentic.
What else am I thinking about?
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