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Natural Awakenings Milwaukee Magazine

On Vulnerability: An Excerpt from Fall in Love with the Whispers of Your Heart

Feb 03, 2023 02:40PM ● By Ann Ruane

Vulnerability

“Telling each other the truth and being who we are, and having space for the other person’s vulnerability in being who they are, allows us to move in a kind of dance together that’s very fluid and graceful.” —Tara Brach

The greatest gift you can offer is to vulnerably be who you are. The next greatest gift is for you to allow another person to vulnerably be who they are. Oftentimes it becomes a little one-sided. You want to be who you are while wanting the other person to receive you the way you want, not in the way they are capable of receiving you. Part of this vulnerability is connected to not taking things personally. When you choose to be seen for who you are, the choice is rooted in self-love. Therefore, regardless of how someone else responds, you will be unaffected by their choice, allowing them to be who they are. It is offering unspoken permission to exist and be your most vulnerable you while allowing the same for the other person. The dance becomes one of love and acceptance.

Reflection Questions

How often do you feel that you are really being you when you’re around other people?

How does it feel when you are seen and accepted in your vulnerability?

How does it feel to offer it in return to another person?

Mantra

When I choose to be me, I allow the same for others.

Through Fall in Love with the Whispers of Your Heart, Ruane hopes to inspire curiosity and transformation in the reader’s life; move through the paralysis of perfection; bring comfort to the discomfort; acceptance to the rejection; love to the unlovable; and choose connection over perfection. “You can find gratitude for your true self and what you have to offer. Learn to celebrate you,” Ruane says.


Ann Ruane is an author, composer, Reiki practitioner and light in the Milwaukee community.

For more information or to purchase, email [email protected] or visit Amazon.com/author/annruane. More info: see Lux Eterna Healing.