There are not many topics in life that are as central as opening. It affects our health (physical, mental and emotional), our connection with those we love, and our connection to our own spiritual natures. In essence, our overall well-being.

Most of us have days when we feel closed, unapproachable. Those days when we put up the “Do Not Disturb” sign on our very existence. We strategize around each other’s closed days. “This would not be a good day to ask your father about this.” “I know right now would be a bad time to talk with my wife about that.” …

It can be easier to open, to be vulnerable, with some people than with others. I think we all have people with whom we are rarely annoyed, and others whose very existence seems to ruffle our feathers.

Our closings not only affect those around us, they profoundly affect ourselves. It is easier to make good choices when we are open. That is not to say the choices themselves are easier, but it is easier to know what a good choice is. Personally, I enjoy myself and those around me much more when I let myself be vulnerable, accessible. For that matter, I enjoy everything I do much more when I am open!

None of this is to say we should stuff emotions. I’m saying we need to deal with them. It is well worth the effort, the uncomfortable dive into intimacy with our own selves. Find a way to process and open beyond stuck emotions. Discover ways out of your own dissatisfaction.

Engender enthusiasm. Kindle freedom of spirit. Nourish your own soul. Find an avenue to uncover joy.
“Those who are willing to be vulnerable move among mysteries.”
~ Theodore Roethke