On topics of death, illness, and decline, our hearts might instinctively want to close. We understandably want to protect our tenderness from the pain that can accompany losing a loved one or contemplating our own final transition. However, it is precisely in these moments that opening our hearts becomes most crucial. Embracing vulnerability as we acknowledge death allows us to grief which is a prerequisite to living more fully and loving more deeply.

Why Keep Our Hearts Open?

Because each encounter with openness in the face of death teaches us compassion, deepens our connections with others, and enriches our appreciation for the fleeting beauty of life. It prepares us not just for our own end, but for participating fully in the cycles of life and loss that mark our human experience.

The Vulnerable Invitation This Week

The invitation this week is to use the awareness of death not as a specter that frightens, but as a gentle reminder to soften rather than harden, to embrace rather than withdraw. To engage with life’s infinite complexities. The more we do that within the context of openness, the more capacity we build for courage, grace, and love.

As Brene Brown says, “Vulnerability is not about winning or losing. It’s having the courage to show up even when you can’t control the outcome.”