Tenderized

For years & years & years, I held being vulnerable as a negative. Loving John prompted my comment that my utterly involuntary love for him left me wide open in every way possible, that it "Makes me vulnerable."

It did & it does. And, much to my suprise, it turns out that is & always has been a good thing.

Being vulnerable is life welcoming. Our skin is vulnerable, letting things out, letting things in. Our cells are vulnerable.

How did I come to see vulnerability as a negative, something to be on guard against?

That's a purely rhetorical - such questions lack anything-close-to-understandable answers.

As I tip tap away, am finding myself thinking about ways to tenderize a tough cut of meat ~ you can slow cook it in some liquid, puncture it all over with deep holes, marinate it for hours. What you typically end up with is a piece of meat that's tender enough to eat AND typically with more flavor than a more naturally tender cut.

Maybe the same is true for all of us - that tough moments can, with a little attention & prep, be our most tender, most filled with the flavors of life & living.