Imperfection and Vulnerability

The gifts of imperfection and vulnerability exist in our everyday world if we open to receive them. It was bitterly cold at the beach today. I hadn’t been in days, and I felt a sense of longing to connect with nature. I bundled up in a down jacket, hat, and gloves, and headed out. Again today, there was no one in sight for as far as I could see. I spotted a single common loon diving in the surf for food.

There were a number of broken whelks on the beach. One in particular spoke to something in me. It was worn and mostly bleached white by the sun with patches of blue-grey. I wonder what it was about this worn whelk that stirred something in my spirit. I picked it up and noticed that it had a small hole near the tip and a larger one underneath. I’ve been collecting broken shells for a number of years. I see the beauty in their imperfection.

I’ve been reading about imperfection in Dr. Brene Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are this week. Dr. Brown is a social work professor and researcher who spent the past 6 years studying vulnerability. She writes, “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky, but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

Brown goes on to say that in entering our most vulnerable places, we cultivate worthiness. How, exactly do we do this? We do this by bringing mindfulness and awareness to our moment to moment experience and by “practicing courage, compassion, and connection in our daily lives.”

Brown defines courage as “speaking honestly and openly about who we are, about what we’re feeling, and about our experiences (good and bad)…Ordinary courage is about putting our vulnerability on the line.” She explains that compassion is derived from the Latin words pati and cum, meaning ‘to suffer with.’ Brown writes, “I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”

Where do your vulnerabilities lie? And what are the gifts of imperfection in your life? What part of your story are you willing to write today? And then with whom are you willing to share it? In what ways are you willing to be more vulnerable in your creative practice today?

Jen Johnson is a mindfulness teacher, coach, and therapist offering an integrative approach to mind body healing and creative awakening. She teaches mindfulness online workshops and mindful writing workshops online. Jen has been teaching mindfulness for 30+ years.